Mythology
by mangoaddict
Summary: Fourth in my Salvation series. The Royal Army and the Resistance clash on battlefields of Antar. If you don't like Tess or UC couples, you won't like this. You are welcome to read it, but consider yourself warned.
1. The Storm Gathers

Title: Mythology

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

Author's note: This story takes place directly after "Interlude: Remembrance." It is helpful if you have read the previous three stories in this series. This is set up the same way as "The Crucible," that is, it takes place over the course of two weeks and each chapter is a single day, with the fifteenth chapter being the climax of the story. This will basically be a story about war, with a little bit of intrigue, so expect death and destruction. I'll never write anything too graphically, though, because I can't stand detailed descriptions of blood and guts. But this will be dark.

As always, please read and review. Oh, and when you review, please make sure you are logged in, or leave your e-mail in the appropriate box. I would love to respond to you all, but if you aren't logged in (coughEllethielcough) it makes it more difficult.

* * *

this is the stuff of legends...

Chapter One: The Storm Gathers

_Day 1_

Khai rubbed his weary eyes and watched as the pale sun rose slowly over the horizon. It had been almost three months since the attack on Larek's planet, the attack that had left almost no one alive. Khai growled under his breath and slammed his fist onto the window sill.

He wished he could kill Audin again.

Traitor.

Forcing himself to turn away from the window, Khai walked over to the chair by the fireplace and fell into it. He had to plan his next move, but he hardly knew what to do. He had fled the planet, charged by the dying Larek with the task of keeping the Granolith out of Khivar's hands. Three months, and he was still running. Khivar had sent thousands of men after him, and every time he let his guard down, one of them attacked.

It was a good sign, it meant that Khivar was getting desperate. And that meant that he had not been able to capture either the Queen or her son. He would have no reason to fear the power of the Granolith if he had the Heir…no, Khivar corrected himself mentally, if he had _Alex_, because he would then have a legitimate claim to the thrown.

But had he reached Earth yet? Had he gone after Vilandra? Had he managed to bring the traitorous Princess back? Was his travel technology complete?

Khai shuddered. If Khivar had complete the technology, then he would have the ability to instantly appear anywhere in the entire universe. Which meant…oh, what was that human saying?

You can hide, but you can't run?

Khai shook his head. Perhaps it was supposed to be the other way around? His knowledge of human culture was quite limited. But no matter, the saying worked well to describe his predicament. Because if Khivar ever found out where he was…

Well, Khai was no match for the skin King.

Khai lifted a small object from the table next to the chair. It was a sphere, wrapped tightly in layers of cloth and secured with twine and ribbon. Khai closed his eyes and felt the power radiating from the sphere.

The Granolith.

Khai opened his eyes and set the sphere back down, then walked over to the window. He licked his dry lips and watched as the world around him awoke. He had traveled from planet to planet, sneaking in and out of secret pathways, in an attempt to stay one step away from Khivar. But Khivar's best men had been chasing him, and he didn't know how much longer he could avoid them.

There had been seventeen attacks in the two months. Mostly, these happened while he was in space, traveling to another planet. A few had actually happened on the planet he was hiding in, and he had been forced to flee almost immediately, leaving behind everything he owned save the Granolith.

How much longer could he run?

He needed time.

And time was, quite unfortunately, the one thing he did not have.

Khivar had followed him across the infinite universe. Where could he hide now? Where could he go that Khivar would not be able to find him?

Khai shook his head in frustration and closed his eyes again, feeling the warmth of the rising sun on his face. He thought of the Queen, and wondered where she was. He had never once made an effort to figure it out, knowing that the less people who knew her exact location, the safer she would be. What was that human saying she had recited once at a Council Meeting?

Three people can keep a secret if two of them are dead.

Khai laughed abruptly, smiling at the memory. He still had his reservations about this new Queen, but she had proven to be clear-headed and dedicated, and she truly wanted to stop Khivar. Which was more than he could say about the other Royals…

Khai shook his head in disgust. How could they have stayed on Earth? How could they have abandoned their people like that?

Rath…no, it was Michael now. He wanted to see Michael. He wanted to see his brother, wanted to know that he was truly alive and well. But Michael had chosen to stay behind with Zan and Vilandra, and now Khai would never get the chance to meet the hybrid.

Did Michael want to know him? Did he ever wonder if he had family anywhere? Did he ever search for that family, long for them? Or did he simply not care?

Khai snorted and shook his head. Sentimental thoughts would get him nowhere. He was a General, and he needed a plan. A logical plan that would keep him safe while Khivar's best soldiers, mercenaries, and spies followed him across the universe.

An idea suddenly occurred to Khai, and idea that worked its way through his mind. He thought about it, contemplating the pros and cons, then nodded, satisfied. It was not the best plan, but it would have to work.

Khivar could pursue him anywhere, so he could not outrun the skin King. It was a matter of choosing the right hiding spot. But instead of choosing a place he thought Khviar could never find, he should choose a place Khivar would never dream of looking.

There are many ways to hide something, but the best hiding place is the one that is in plain sight.

And who in their right mind would take the Granolith back to the person they were running from? Khivar expected him to be far away, he would never search his own planet for the Antarian general.

It was time to return to Antar.

* * *

Arya walked over to the chair in her sitting room and collapsed into it, exhausted after a long day of battles. The Royal army had breached the walls at Jorin and taken the cities of Kos and Tri earlier that afternoon, completing their circle around the capital city. Reports had come from within the city that Khivar had finished his technology, and now was able to be anywhere, to possess anyone, without alerting others to his presence. 

The only good news was that rumor had it the Princess had refused to come back.

How long had it been since Larek's planet fell? Only three months? The planet was uninhabited now. After Larek had died, Khivar had systematically destroyed every city on the entire planet and salted the earth of the most profitable farms. And now nothing was left of the once great king and his people.

Several of the planet's inhabitants had fled and sought safety in other planets. Because Khivar was still watching the secret pathways, none had been able to come to Antar and join the Resistance here, but a few had managed to provide intelligence and supplies, although it had not been easy.

Audin had been the biggest surprise, and Arya would never have believed it if she did not see the results of his actions with her own eyes. An entire planet destroyed, and for what?

Closing her eyes, the silver-haired alien allowed her mind to drift back to the first time she had been contacted by the soldier on the Queen's ship. The soldier had told her that the Queen was fleeing to Antar and crossing the desert…and Arya had thought it was madness. But every night she reached out to connect with the Queen, and after three months, the Queen was still alive.

The clock behind her struck midnight. It was time to contact the Queen again.

She closed her eyes and let her mind reach out across the emptiness, honing in on the one presence that she wished to find. It took a moment, but she finally sensed the Queen and approached cautiously, extending mental feelers to warn the other alien of her arrival.

_Hello, my Lady._

_Hello, Arya._

_Are you well? If I may be so bold to say so, you sound troubled._

_I dreamt about Earth last night. I saw what happened when Isabel reverted to Vilandra._

_But she reverted back, my Lady._

_Yes._

_Then what are you troubled about, my Lady?_

There was a pause, and Arya thought, for a moment, that the Queen would not answer. But she finally did, her thoughts disturbed and upset.

_They think I am a traitor._

_The other Royals?_

_Yes._

Arya was at a loss for words. She rubbed her temples and thought for a moment, trying to come up with something comforting to say. Finally, she managed only a weak answer.

_Are you sure?_

_Yes, I saw it. I saw…Well, they didn't actually think I betrayed them. But the questioned it. They doubted my innocence. _

_I am sorry._

_Tell me what has been happening. Were there more attacks today?_

_Yes, my Lady. Many more…

* * *

_

Khivar paced the room, his scowl dark and foreboding. He hissed short breaths from in between his teeth and slammed his feet onto the floor with startling fury. Nicolas watched in silence, shifting from one foot to the other, afraid of drawing attention to himself while the skin king was in such a foul mood.

Finally, Khivar stopped his pacing and turned to Nicolas. "Vilandra escaped me," he said quietly. "All that trouble was for nothing."

"We have technology that would allow you to take possession of anyone in the entire universe, my Lord," Nicolas pointed out. He tilted his head to one side. "Think of the possibilities. How easy it would be to infiltrate the Resistance…" His smile grew into a smirk, his eyes flashing with delight at the prospect.

Khivar nodded in acquiescence. "But I wanted Vilandra," he murmured, almost more to himself than to Nicolas.

Nicolas eyes the skin king oddly. After the fall of the Royal Four and the death of Vilandra, most of the population of Antar had written Khivar's affair with the Princess off as nothing more than means to an end…the end of Zan's rule. But standing here, listening to Khivar bemoan the loss of Vilandra, Nicolas could only come to one fairly astounding conclusion.

Khivar was in love with Vilandra.

"Once you destroy the Resistance, and the other three Royals, there will be no one to stand between you and the Princess, Sire," Nicolas pointed out. "After all, it was the human hybrids who caused her to revert back to her hybrid self, correct?"

Khivar nodded again, this time thoughtfully. "True, Nicolas." He turned and walked over to the window, staring up at the sky. "And at least my trip to Earth was not a complete waste of time."

"How so?" Nicolas questioned, breathing a sigh of relief as he realized the skin king had a much better disposition now.

"Ava was able to warn Vilandra of my plans," Khivar explained. "Which means that she had been with the Resistance when we attacked Larek's planet."

"We already knew that," Nicolas ventured, swallowing nervously as he corrected the temperamental king.

"No," Khivar said, "we _suspected_ it. But we found no trace of her ever having been on the planet, accept for Audin's word." He shook his head in exasperation. "If any of the soldiers saw her during the battle, they were all killed before they could report to us. Larek's advisors did a good job of covering their tracks."

Nicolas opened his mouth to respond, then hesitated, the comment frozen at the tip of his tongue. He looked away briefly, closing his mouth and dropping shutters over his eyes so as not to betray his actual thoughts.

But Khivar saw the action and frowned. "What?" he demanded. "What were you going to say?"

Wondering if he was being incredibly foolish or not, Nicolas said, "Why hunt for the Queen? We now have the technology to possess _anyone_. Wouldn't it be better if we just used it on the Resistance? We could crush them within the week."

Khivar shook his head. "N0. The Resistance knows we have the technology, and they are probably looking for anyone who starts acting oddly. When I penetrate their defenses, I must be acting perfectly, I must have the role down to the very last detail…" He let the sentence hang in the air like a puff of smoke. "This is too good an opportunity to waste by rushing."

"So we focus on the Queen?" It was more a statement than a question, but Nicolas left enough diffidence in his voice to appease Khivar.

Khivar nodded, a slow smile spreading across his face. He turned again and looked out at the sky. He opened the window with a swift, deft movement, breathing in the fresh air. "We have separated her from the other Royals, made them doubt her again. She cannot go to Earth for help."

"I don't know," Nicolas chanced to disagree. "The three Royals were quick to condemn her before, if they have learned from past mistakes, they will not be so quick to condemn her again."

"True," Khivar agreed, pleased with his second-in-command's thinking. "But I have planted the seed of doubt in their minds, they will not be so quick to trust her either. She will not go back, not unless she has no other option."

"But how does this help us? We've ruled out one planet, but there are an infinite number left…" Nicolas protested. "And no one knows where she went when she left Larek's planet."

Khivar shook his head. "She could not have just disappear into thin air," he countered. "She had to have left the planet by a ship, which means that someone had to fly the ship for her."

"Why couldn't she have flown it herself, my Lord?" Nicolas protested. "She flew the Granolith."

"The ship that the Granolith powered was made so that any of the hybrids would instinctively know how to control it. But it was only a one way trip, so whatever ship she left Larek's planet on…"

"She would not know how to fly," Nicolas finished, smiling smugly.

Khivar turned to face his second-in-command. "There is an old saying from Earth, Nicolas. Three people can keep a secret, only if two of them are dead. Someone out there knows where the Queen is, and I intend to find that person."

* * *

Tess groaned and rocked her son back and forth, her tired eyes traveling over the sleeping infant. Arya's news about the destruction of more cities had been disturbing, they would have to mount an attack soon, or risk having Khivar crush them before she arrived. 

"Is this all my life is ever going to be?" Tess murmured. "One battle after another? The blows just keep on coming…" She placed Alex on the desert floor, making sure he was well protected in the warm blanket, then stood and stretched her muscles. Her body ached beyond belief, but she knew the long journey was far from over. She was closer to her final destination now, perhaps only two more weeks.

Still, that was a full two weeks she would have to walk. And she was running low on food and water.

But that was not what bothered her now. No, now she was thinking about Earth, and about the people she left behind. She had seen the doubt in Max's and Michael's eyes when Khivar told them she was a traitor. They didn't know who to believe, and she had to admit, quite reluctantly, that Khivar was a good liar. But still…

Had she expected them to know the truth? They barely knew her. She had entered there lives only a little over a year ago, and had scared all of them off with her talk of destiny. Was she a fool for thinking that Max would remember his love for her? Or was Max the fool for ever thinking he could escape destiny?

Tess gave a bitter chuckle. He _had_ escaped destiny.

Little did she know just how wrong she was.

* * *

"I saw her again," Max said quietly, taking a seat next to Michael on the sofa in his room. He ran a hand through his hair and gave a short laugh, ironic and dark. "I was standing in the bread aisle at the grocery store, and there she was, looking at the whole wheat." 

Michael gave his friend a sympathetic look. "You're just imagining it, Max. That's all."

"I know," Max hissed, angrily slamming his fist onto the coffee table. "I don't love her. I don't believe in destiny! Hell, for all I know, Khivar was telling the truth and she really did betray us. But she is still there, still haunting me. I can't get her to leave me alone." He buried his face in his hands and muttered in a slightly muffled voice, "I love _Liz_."

"I know," Michael answered. And he did know. He knew that Max loved Liz, and always would, and that nothing could ever change that. He also knew that Tess would always be there, a black cloud hovering over them all, reminding them of the mistakes they had made.

They had either invited a murdering traitor into their group and then let her escape, pregnant, from the planet after she killed one of their best friends; or they had betrayed one of their only allies and sent her, pregnant, from the planet right into the hands of her greatest enemy. Either way, they had screwed up.

And whether Max loved her or not, whether Isabel and Michael were friends with her or not, whether they trusted her or not, Tess would always be there, casting her shadow over them all, preventing them from moving past their sins and seeking forgiveness and redemption.

And in that way, Tess had been right.

They couldn't escape destiny.

* * *

Next Chapter: The Army Moves 

Due: Friday 1/27


	2. The Army Moves

Title: Mythology

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

Author's note: I'm changing season three quite a bit. Here are the things you have to know. Liz starts getting visions early, even before the whole thing where she runs off to boarding school in Vermont or wherever. She does not need to be touching anything to get a vision. Maria and Michael are still together, mostly because I don't actually remember when exactly in the season they break up. _Italics _are communications between Arya and Tess, or Liz's flashes, depending on the context.

* * *

this is the stuff of legends...

Chapter Two: The Army Moves

_Day 2_

"Maxwell, we've got a problem."

Max glanced up from his book and frowned in mild concern at his best friend. Michael had been distant lately, disappearing into his own work, and although the hybrid king had wondered what his general was up to, he had known better than to push for answers. Even Isabel had been unable to elicit details from the secretive Michael.

"What kind of problem?" Max asked warily. He and Liz were supposed to be enjoying a nice romantic meal at the Crashdown after hours, but it had already been interrupted by Maria who was having a identity crisis, Isabel who needed to talk about her marital problems, although Max wondered how she could have them after only a few days of marriage, and Kyle, who just wanted to yell at someone about their stupidity for doubting Tess again.

"It's your father," Michael said without preamble. "He's investigating you."

"Huh?" Max asked. In the seat across from him, Liz straightened and looked up with interest and concern. Maria, who was wiping the tables on the other side of the room, dropped her rag on the floor and walked over, worry etched onto her face.

"He's investigating you. Valenti just told me that he was asking a whole bunch of questions. About Tess…"

"What?" Liz spluttered.

Max glanced in between his best friend and his girlfriend and frowned, wondering what to do. "What sort of questions about Tess?"

"Where she went and why she left so abruptly," Michael answered. He dropped into the seat next to Max. "And the last thing we need to right now is anyone making Jesse suspicious, or Isabel is going to be in trouble as well."

"I need to talk to him," Max decided.

"And say what?" Liz questioned hesitantly. Max and Michael both looked at her and she shrugged. "If you are going to have that conversation, it would probably be best if you worked out all your lies ahead of time so that you know what to say when they start pressing for answers."

"She's got a point," Maria concurred.

"I don't know what answers I can give them," Max replied thoughtfully. "Nothing they would by, and most certainly nothing that they would understand."

"You could tell them the truth," Maria suggested. All eyes swung to her and she shrugged self-consciously. "Look, I'm not saying divulge every detail of your life to the entire world. But these are your parents. They're not going to hand you over to the FBI."

"I really wish I could believe that," Max replied. "But I just can't take that chance." He stood up resolutely. "I'll think of something else to tell them, to throw them off track. In the meantime, just don't answer any questions if you can avoid it."

"Easier said then done," Michael grumbled, but nodded his head in agreement with the plan.

Liz watched as the two men walked out of the diner. She shook her head, part in concern that her boyfriend was in trouble, part in annoyance that she couldn't even have a half-an-hour date without it getting interrupted. She stood up and cleared the dishes from the booth, wondering how long the relationship would last.

Max loved her. If she just reminded herself that Max loved her, everything would be okay.

She hoped.

She carried the dishes half way to the back room, then dropped them on the nearest table, suddenly to tired to go any further. Something inside her started to burn, then to ache, and she gasped out in shock and pain. She was numbly aware of Maria at her side, asking her if she was okay, but she was in too much agony to respond. The world began to spin around her, and she doubled over, panting for breath.

"_Liz, look out!"_

"_Max, no! Run, get out of here, save yourself."_

"_Not without you."_

"_Your going to die! Please, just leave. Just get out. Save yourself, save Isabel and Michael. Please."_

"_I can't leave you, Liz. I love you. I need you."_

"_No! You need to fight. You need to survive. For the world."_

"_If I had a choice in this, I'd pick you. I always have."_

"_I know. I love you, Max. Forever."_

Liz opened her eyes and found that she was lying on her back on the cold tile floor of the Crashdown. Maria was kneeling next to her, applying a cold, wet washcloth to her forehead. Both Michael and Max were there as well, wearing identical looks of confusion and concern.

"What happened?"

"I think I had a flash," Liz answered dully, pushing herself to a sitting position.

"But you weren't kissing anyone," Maria pointed out, confused. She helped Liz stand, supporting the girl as she swayed unsteadily on her feet.

"I know," Liz admitted. "But…I definitely saw something. A vision of the future, maybe?"

"What did you see?"

Liz closed her eyes and pictured the scene, remembered the fear and despair the hovered in the air, the pain behind each frantic word. Suddenly another memory came to mind, one from many months ago. Future Max, standing in her room, telling her what had happened in his life, in the future he came back to prevent. Her face paled dramatically. "Oh, God, Max. I think I saw the end of the world."

* * *

Khivar stared at the map in front of him, tracing the snaking Landra river with his finger. After a moment of contemplation, he turned to Nicolas and said, "Read over the names of the people Audin said where on Antar before we destroyed it?" 

Nicolas complied, glancing down at the paper in his hands and skimming the names. "Larek, Arya, Sria, Khai, Lotho, Kani."

"All dead except for Khai, who I am fairly certain has the Granolith with him," Khivar muttered, nodding slowly. Khai had evaded his men several times, but they were slowly closing their net around him. The Resistance general could not run forever, not from the best trained soldiers in the entire Southern Beltway. "Who else?"

"Morxan, Zyith, Radim, Trell."

"Also dead," Khivar murmured. "Except Morxan, who has escaped back to his own planet. I fear he is out of our reach now, he will have obtained intergalactic amnesty by now. But I doubt he can do much harm to us, even if he sends all his resources and all his money to the Resistance." He frowned for a moment, then sighed. "Next," he ordered.

"Nasuda, Shalimar, and Sirch."

At this, Khivar paused. "Nasuda and Sirch are dead," he said slowly, "but Shalimar is still unaccounted for." He turned back to the map, peering at it, trying to sort out his complicated thoughts.

"Do you think she knows where the Queen is?" Nicolas asked eagerly.

"I would stake my life on it," Khivar replied. He leaned forward, resting his hands and his weight on the table. "We need to find her, and we need to do it quickly, before she has time to disappear."

"Perhaps she has already," Nicolas suggested uneasily. "It has been three months since we took the planet." He watched the skin king, wondering if they were too late. Would Shalimar have already escaped their grasp, slipping through their fingers like sand?

Khivar nodded thoughtfully. "I have no doubt that she has chosen some place safe to hide, because she must know the value of the secret she harbors." He spun around to face Nicolas. "Attack."

"What?"

"Attack," Khivar repeated. He turned back to the map and stabbed his finger at several of the cities. "Attach hard and fast. Coordinated attacks, large scale and complete. Wipe out every city by the Landra river and burn them to the ground. Continue throughout the entire province of Tel'ai until there is nothing left."

"Why?" Nicolas asked, uncomprehendingly. "In the past, we've only attacked cities that were either Resistance bases or beneficial to us in some other way. A strike on the entire province…"

"Will force the Resistance to meet me in the battlefield," Khivar finished. "Our other fighting strategy worked fine when we were concerned about protecting our own image, but now I have something else in mind."

"And you want to engage in a full scale battle?" Nicolas questioned.

"Yes," Khivar replied simply, not elaborating any on his plan. He turned to Nicolas, his eyes deathly serious. "Prepare the entire army, Nicolas. All of the regiments. They move out tonight."

* * *

_His entire army is moving? _Tess asked, puzzled by the information. She had learned much about Khivar in the past several weeks, and one of the many things she knew was that Khivar rarely attacked in such a blatant and open manor. His attacks were swift and brutal, there was no doubt about that, but he always had a reason, a justification, that he could give to the intergalactic community if they demanded one. He had to protect his own image as a fair king and not a crazy despot. 

Even the cities of Drasu and Sab, the cities that he had completely decimated simply because of their proximity to the capital of the planet, even those he had a 'justifiable' reason. Tess shook her head, resisting the urge to burst into cynical laughter. The reason Khivar had supplied to the Council of the Worlds was that the two cities had been secretly feeding money to the Resistance. The Council of the Worlds was a lethargic congressional body that wanted to involve itself in as little conflict as possible, and there had been just enough truth in Khivar's claim for them to accept it as proper justification of the murder of innocent men, woman ,and children.

But the complete and utter annihilation of an entire province? How could Khivar possibly justify that? How could the Council close their eyes to that?

_The spies have brought reports, my Lady. They are moving, and quickly. The attack on the province will happen soon._

_How does he expect to justify this to the Council, Arya? They cannot close their eyes to that kind of military tactic, no matter how much they may want to._

_The Council has always been on his side, my Lady. They back the side they believe will win._

Tess gave a dark chuckle._ They picked the wrong side this time._

_Perhaps. But Khivar is moving now, and we don't know why. And I am worried._

Tess silently agreed and glanced around the desert. At times like these she felt so completely helpless. She wanted to be with the Resistance in more than just spirit, she wanted to be able to fight with them in the fields and to stand next to them when the sky filled with black smoke and the earth ran thick with blood.

_It's a trap, _Tess thought suddenly. _A distraction method._

_How do you know?_

_I don't know, Arya. I just…I just know. _Tess frowned, frustrated that she was unable to adequately explain what she thought and how she felt._ He is planning something else, and this is just a distraction. He wants us to face him, he wants us to be too absorbed in this to see what his real plans are._

_What do you suggest we do, my Lady? We can't _not_ engage in battle or we risk losing everything._

_We risk losing everything no matter what, Arya._ No matter what they did, Khivar would outnumber them one-hundred to one.

_True…But if we don't attack, we will be sending a message to all those who look to us in hope that we are giving up._

Tess sighed, uneasy with the answer. It was true, they would have to send the army out to fight Khivar. They had to, or the planet would lose faith in them. If they just stood by and let an entire province be destroyed…But no matter the necessity of the move, Tess did not like sending men and women out into a needless battle._ If we can figure out what Khivar is planning, then we may have a better idea of the best way to proceed. Contact me if you have any other news, I will think on this tonight. Perhaps tomorrow will bring answers._

There was a pause, and when Arya's answer finally came, her words were filled with doubt.

_Perhaps, my Lady.

* * *

_Next Chapter: The Forces Wait

Due: Wed 2/1


	3. The Forces Wait

Title: Mythology

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

Author's note: I've added back the list of people are, and taken out all the dead people. You might want to read it, I will be adding to it if important people come up, and taking people away if they die or are no longer important to the story.

* * *

Okay, just a reminder of who the major players still alive are: 

Tess of course

Alex-Tess's son, named after Alex Whitman

Nicolas and Khivar-same people they were on the show

Arya-the regional ruler from the province of Tel'ai, which is the capital province on Antar. She was recently deposed by Khivar and is now the leader of the Resistance

Khai-main general, used to be the leader of the Resistance, now the protector of the Granolith, Rath's younger brother

Shalimar-a member of the Resistance, helped Tess escape, now in hiding from Khivar

Morxan-a merchant originally from Larek's planet, has agreed to help the Resistance fight Khivar

Ceyla-A General of the Resistance under Arya

Places of importance:

Tel'ai-capital province of Antar, has Dimaras Rock, where Zan met Ava. The Triaji Desert, the Cortai Jungle, the Landra River, and the Fel Mountains are all located in this province as well.

Antar-the capital city of Antar has the same name as the planet.

Mt. Sinai-a mountain in Tel'ai, it's name means (in Antarian) 'mountain of fate'

* * *

this is the stuff of legends...

Chapter Three: The Forces Wait

_Day 3_

Ceyla watched with interest as the army spread out behind her, flanking her on all sides. They were nervous, apprehensive, and she could feel it in the air. The wind whipped through the ranks, clanking metal together, causing swords to smashing against the ground. A storm was brewing, piling up from the east and charging through the sky in a long and vicious race.

It was the first battle Ceyla had ever lead. She was young, far too young for the task ahead of her. When Khai had lead the Resistance, she had been an assistant to Arya, working mostly on theoretical strategy and diplomatic matters. Once Khai was forced to flee with the Granolith and Arya had assumed control of the Resistance, Ceyla had been promoted first to Captain and then to General. Green and untried, this battle scared her.

She turned and looked out over the hills. They were camped between the Landra River and the capital city if Antar. Far out to her left, the mountains rose, hazy and dark. They were distant, and even the great Mt. Sinai, which towered thousands of feet above all the other mountains and stood by itself in the middle of plateau, seemed small and insignificant.

The hills in front of her sloped downwards into a long stretch of fields, then the rose up again. On the distant fields, she could just make out the Royal Army of Khivar, milling about as they too prepared for the upcoming battle. There were far more of them than she had ever seen, then _anyone_ had ever seen. It appeared as though Khivar had moved everyone out, forced every soldier to fight.

Arya joined Ceyla at her perch. She smiled reassuringly at the younger woman, then turned and looked into the distance. "The clouds of war are gathering," she remarked quietly. A strand of silver hair blew in her eyes, and she pushed it away impatiently, drawing a deep breath as she did so.

"Yes," Ceyla agreed. "Why is Khivar doing this?" she asked, gesturing to the distant royal army. "So many soldiers, so much destruction. The intergalactic community will turn on him. They'll _have_ to turn on him."

"He obviously hopes to gain something by this, something greater than intergalactic approval," Arya mused. "Something that means he won't need intergalactic approval."

Ceyla turned her puzzled blue eyes to Arya. "What could that be?" she asked, running a hand through her black locks.

Arya shrugged. "I don't know," she admitted. "That's what worries me." She was the only one in the entire Resistance who knew where the Queen was. And Khviar thought she was dead. A dead person holding a hidden secret. The Queen was as safe as she could be given the circumstances.

Unless…

Arya turned abruptly and glanced back at the army. Unless Khivar somehow managed to find Shalimar. The woman was hidden well, but Khviar was brilliant and ruthless and determined, and Arya had long since learned not to underestimate the skin king.

"I wonder if he has prepared his technology as well," Ceyla mused, breaking into Arya's thoughts. "He could use it to possess Resistance members on the battlefield, have them attack their own troops." It was a terrifying thought, the amount of power Khivar wielded.

Arya nodded. "I don't know much about the technology, but I was told that in order to possess someone, Khivar still has to know exactly where they are." Because Khivar's conscious had to find the conscious of the person he wanted to possess, and because Khivar probably did not want to have his spirit stuck in the cosmic void indefinitely, he needed at least a rough idea of where his intended target was, so that he would be able to find them. It was precious little to be grateful for, but Arya nonetheless sent a prayer up thanking God for small favors.

"That is why he cannot possess the Queen?" Ceyla asked. "He doesn't know where she is?"

Arya nodded. It was also what kept him from finding Khai and Shalimar, again two things to be thankful for. "But we must be careful. If he ever does infiltrate the Resistance…"

"I know," Ceyla said quickly. "Keep our eyes open for someone acting oddly and report it immediately."

Arya gave Ceyla one last smile and walked away, hunting out her other Generals. She wanted to talk to them all before the battle began, and who knew how much time there was before Khivar decided to start the attack?

* * *

Max massaged his temples and glanced over at Isabel. Isabel paced angrily, her attention focused on Michael. Michael leaned back in his seat and stared at Maria. Maria placed a supportive hand on Liz's shoulder. Liz eyed Max uneasily. 

Finally, Max broke the tense silence. "So what you are saying is that a future version of me warned you that the world would end if Tess left?"

Liz nodded.

"And you are just telling us this now because…?" Michael snapped in annoyance.

Maria glared at Michael. "Don't you dare blame her for this!"

"Why not?" Isabel cut in. "If she had paused long enough to think through the consequences before barging in and telling us that Tess was a murderer, we wouldn't be in this position in the first place!" She shook her head in disgust.

"We don't know for certain that Tess wasn't a murderer," Maria replied pointedly.

"It was Khivar who told us that! Are you seriously going to believe him?" Michael demanded. "He's our enemy."

"I don't know what I believe anymore," Maria retorted. "Max said Khivar was convincing."

"Of course he was convincing," Isabel snapped. "He happens to be the evil genius who killed us all and took over our planet."

"Yeah, with your help," Maria hissed.

"Guys, stop it!" Liz broke in. Her voice was loud and commanding, and all eyes turned to her in surprise. "We all screwed up, okay? We all believed she was guilty of murder. We all sent her away. There is no point in laying blame right now, because we have bigger problems to worry about. Such as our imminent deaths."

Michael forced himself to calm down and nodded. He looked over at Maria and murmured, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell at you." His voice was unemotional and flat, but there was honestly in his eyes, and Maria accepted the apology somewhat begrudgingly.

"What do we do?" Isabel asked, her eyes on Liz. "How do we stop the end?"

Liz swallowed back her frustration and not having answers and shrugged. "I don't know," she admitted. "Without the Granolith, we can't go back in time to change anything. And without Tess, we don't have the four square."

"So what does that mean?" Michael asked impatiently. "That we're screwed?"

"No," Max replied firmly. "We know that it is coming this time. We're prepared for it."

"Not without Tess, we aren't," Isabel replied. "And she isn't here because…remind me again what happened? Oh, that's right, we sent her away." She rolled her eyes and flopped down into a chair. "We sent her to her death. We basically killed Tess."

Outside the door to the room, Jesse stood, his ear pressed against the wood, listening. It had only been a few days since the wedding, but already Jesse had gotten the feeling that there was some huge secret that Isabel was hiding from him. When Mr. Evans had approached and started asking him questions, he had realized that he wasn't the only person Isabel was lying to, and had reluctantly agreed to help Mr. Evans discover the truth about his children.

He had not heard much of the conversation, but he had heard the last sentence. It was the only part that mattered to him, the only part that seemed important.

_We basically killed Tess._

Who was Tess, and what had happened to her, and how did Isabel play a role in that? Jesse walked over to the phone, his emotions fighting a bitter battle. He loved Isabel and he never wanted to do anything to hurt her, but he had heard the words from her own lips, and if she had actually killed a girl…

Jesse dialed Mr. Evans' number.

* * *

_Blood splattered the ground. A man stood, his hand raised, a bloody sword clutched in his fist as he sneered down at his victim. The cement was stained red, the sun beat down on the bright silver of the sword, and the heavy hand of fate hung in the air. "So falls the great King," the man snarled, staring down at his victim with cruel triumph and mocking delight._

_The man on the ground twisted in agony, turning to stare up at his attacker. Brown hair fell away to reveal brown eyes, old and worn with years of battle. The boy-king had grown into a man, a leader, but it was not enough to save him. Without his Queen, he fell like any other man and was forgotten in the heat of battle. Without all four, they were nothing special, nothing worth remembering._

Tess snapped out of her dream, gasping for breath, and rolled onto her side. Next to her, Alex was screaming, his little lungs bellowing for everything they were worth. She crawled to him and picked him up, cradling the child in her arms.

"Hey, little guy, Mommy's here," she crooned. "Alex, sweetheart, don't cry, Mommy's going to protect you." After a moment, Alex quieted down. His cries turned into whimpers, and eventually even those faded as he stared up at his mother.

"That's a good boy," Tess whispered. "Now Mommy's eardrums don't hurt quite as much as they did a moment ago." She kissed him on the forehead and held him close, thinking about her dream.

The end of the world.

She sighed and stood slowly, glancing at the burning sun. Her body was shaking from fear and emotion, having just witnessed Max's death. Or, at least, a possible way he could die. It shocked her to the core, and she did not know which one bothered her more; the fact that Max's death had caused her anguish, or the fact that she was bothered that Max's death had caused her anguish. Should she love him or should she hate him? Should she mourn him or should she rejoice at his death?

It was a question that haunted her, although she knew it made little difference what she _should_ do. No matter how hard she tried to push it away, the love was still there, and it drove her insane. She remembered what Larek had told her once, that Ava loved Zan more than anything else in the world, and that she would always love Max because she had some of Ava inside her.

But with that realization came another one, a depressing one that threatened to overpower her with its consequences.

In the dream Max had died because she had left. She had broken the Four Square, and without that, the other three hybrids could not take on Khivar and his army. The power was in the Four Square, in them being together, always united, always strong. If they could not defeat Khivar without her, how was she supposed to defeat Khivar without them?

She needed Max, Michael, and Isabel.

* * *

Morxan paused and stared about the abandoned street. He was on his way back to his house after having spent several hours arguing with Senate members over trade laws, and the conversations had left him with a foul disposition and a migraine. He was eager to get home, but something felt a little off, as though he was being followed or being watched. 

"Come out," he ordered, peering around the emptiness. "I know you're there."

A man stepped out of the shadows. Dark hair fell over shadowed eyes. In one hand he clutched a bundle of cloth, holding it against his chest as though it was the most precious burden in the world. As the man stepped further out of the shadows and the light fell across his features, Morxan gasped in surprise and did a double take.

"Khai?"

"Morxan."

"How did you find me?" the merchant asked, eyeing the Antarian General apprehensively. He had never particularly liked Khai, but his meeting with the Queen had left him with a favorable impression of her, and by default, the entire Resistance.

"I have my ways," Khai replied noncommittally. "I need your help."

"Let's go back to my house, then," Morxan said, "and I will give you whatever you need." The man fell into step beside Khai, thinking. Originally, he had agreed to side with the Queen because he viewed it as a wise business decision, and because he admired her passion and resolve. And because they both harbored grudges against Zan/Max. It was an odd alliance, because he knew that although she disliked Max, she loved him as well; and she knew that he would have betrayed her in a heartbeat if it was more profitable for him to do so.

But now Khivar had destroyed his planet. He had not been there, but he had heard reports of what had happened, of how Larek, all his people, and the entire planet had been completed obliterated. Although Morxan had traveled much and rarely called his birth-planet 'home,' he did still have some loyalty to the place in which he was raised.

For what Khivar had done, Morxan would always be his enemy.

Morxan paused outside his house and unlocked the door, ushering his guest inside. Khai stepped through and glanced around the lavish house, a smirk tugging at the corners of his lips. Even when he was involved in a deadly struggle against a madman king, even when he was secretly breaking intergalactic laws and funding Resistance groups, Morxan still knew how to live in style.

Morxan glanced down at the bundle in Khai's hands. "That's the Granolith?" he said. It was not actually a question, and his voice was tinged with reverence. Even though the powerful object was wrapped in cloth and linen, he could feel its power, and it left him overwhelmed and awed.

"Yes," Khai replied. "And Khivar wants it."

"And you want me to help you hide it some place far away will Khivar will never find it?" Morxan guessed, leading Khai through the entryway and into a small side room.

"Not exactly," Khai responded. "I want you to help me ensure that Khivar will never find it, but I don't want to send it far away." At Morxan's puzzled look, Khai continued, "I want you to help me smuggle myself and the Granolith into Antar."

Morxan smiled despite himself, and found he had a sudden new appreciation for the Antarian General's cunning.

* * *

Next Chapter: The Waiting Ends 

Due: Monday 2/6


	4. The Waiting Ends

Title: Mythology

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

Author's Note: This chapter is a little on the short side, and it has almost no Tess in it. I apologize for both, and there will be Tess in the next update. Right now, however, I am focusing a little more on dealing with Earth matters, so expect to see a lot of the other hybrids in the next several chapters.

* * *

this is the stuff of legends…

Chapter Four: The Waiting Ends

_Day 4_

"She what?" Mr. Evans asked quietly, pacing the floor of his study as he watched Jesse's glum face. The young lawyer looked up at his father-in-law, but did not answer the question. He couldn't bring himself to repeat what he had said, what he had heard. He couldn't bring himself to believe that Isabel could ever…

_We basically killed Tess._

"Who was Tess?" Jesse asked at last, looking back down at the polished mahogany desk he was sitting in front of. His hands tightened on the arms of his chair, his knuckles turning white, as he slowly inhaled and exhaled in an attempt to keep the panic at bay.

How could this be happening to him?

"Tess was…" Mr. Evans frowned slightly. Who exactly was Tess? He knew little about the girl, except that Max had hung out with her quite frequently towards the end of junior year, and then the blonde had suddenly disappeared. "She was a friend of Kyle Valenti's actually. She lived with the Valentis for about a year, then left. I don't know the details of it."

"Did she actually _leave_?" Jesse asked, the words slipping out before he could stop them. Mr. Evans looked at him sharply, and Jesse shrugged uncomfortably. It was a logical question, he knew, even if it was not one that either man wanted to consider.

"I don't believe Isabel or Max could ever…you know…do _that_ to someone," Mr. Evans staunchly defended his children. Although some doubt did flicker through his worried eyes.

"What do you want me to do?" Jesse asked slowly. He didn't want to continue this investigation any longer, didn't want to have to deal with whatever painful truths he found. All he wanted was to go back to the way things had been when he had first met Isabel, when they had been madly in love, and things had been so much simpler.

But at the same time, he knew he would never be able to live with the gut-wrenching fear that there was something big about his wife he didn't know.

"I'm going to call over to the Valentis'," Mr. Evans said at last, "and ask a few questions about this Tess girl."

"Do you think they know what is going on?" Jesse wanted to know.

Mr. Evans frowned as he considered the possibility. "Something weird _was_ happening with the Sheriff…uh, I guess he isn't the sheriff anymore…with Jim around the time Tess left. Jim went on a whole bunch of crazy missions and ended up losing his job. I think the FBI might have been involved, but I don't know."

Jesse raised an eyebrow. The FBI? What exactly had his wife and her friends been doing in this sleepy little town? "Who's the Sheriff now?"

"One of Valenti's deputies. Hanson, I believe," Mr. Evans replied. "Why don't you talk to him?" he suggested to his son-in-law. "He might have some answers, and he may be more willing to share them than Jim."

Jesse nodded and stood up, his expression serious. "Mr. Evans? What are we going to do if we find something?"

"That," Mr. Evans replied slowly, "depends on what we find."

* * *

Shalimar kicked the dirt under her feet and watched the sun rising slowly over the distant hills. The landscape around her was beautiful, in a simple and uncomplicated way. To her left, several farms and fields stretched out, one of the many agricultural centers of Antar. To her right, an ocean glimmered in the early light. 

She had always loved the sea. The smell of fresh salty air and the wind that whipped around everything, whistling as it passed through the brush, reminded her of the first several years of her life. She had been born on her family's ocean-side estate, and had spent several happy years there before the war had claimed her parents' lives and she had been forced to flee.

She tucked a strand of black hair behind one ear and closed her eyes. She had been hiding on this farm for three months now, and so far, no one had found her. She wasn't entirely sure if anyone knew that she had survived. She had heard bits and pieces of news from the few visitors who passed through the farms, and she had discovered that Larek's entire planet had been wiped out. Would anyone have noticed her absence from among the bodies?

Audin, perhaps, he was dead now, and good riddance to him.

"Shal!"

Shalimar turned to see her neighbor hurrying towards her, a wide smile on his face. "Morning, Yon," she greeted the farmer.

"Morning," Yon replied. He was a tall man, well built, with muscular arms that bore witness to his years of plowing fields. He was friendly as well, always ready with an easy smile and a kind word. This made him a favorite among the small farming village.

"How is your wife?" Shalimar asked on concern. Yon's wife had become severally ill a few nights before, and was bed ridden.

"Oh, she's doing much better," Yon said cheerfully. "Actually got up and managed to eat a little oatmeal this morning and drink some milk." He ran a hand through his sandy blonde hair. "Any news from your husband?"

Shalimar shook her head and replied, "No, not yet. I don't expect to, though, since he is on the middle of trade negotiations." She blinked and smiled gently.

It was always strange for her to talk of her husband since she had never actually been married. It was a disguise she had decided on when first seeking safety in this village. Although Antar was a large planet, and although Shalimar was a fairly common name, making it almost inconceivable that anyone from Khivar's army would find her here _and_ know who she was, it still seemed better to leave her actual persona behind and develop a new identity. She had become a trader's wife, vacationing in the farming village until her husband returned from his many trips through the Southern Beltway.

"It must be hard for you," Yon commented.

"I miss him greatly," Shalimar replied. She was thinking of the Resistance, of Larek and Sria, of Lotho and Kani, of Sirch and Nasada. Of all the people who were dead now, and who she really would miss, and the tears that came into her eyes were real.

"He'll be back soon," Yon rushed to console her. Shalimar gave him a nod and looked away, discreetly dabbing at her eyes. "Oh, I _am_ sorry," Yon started babbling, mortified that he had brought Shalimar to tears. "I never meant to bring up a painful subject…"

Shalimar waved him into silence. "Don't apologize, Yon, I am thankful that you care enough to ask." She swallowed and thought up a quick lie for her odd show of emotion. "I am just worried, now that we seem to be on the brink of all at war, what if he is unable to return safely? What is the other worlds join in? I could never live if something happened to him."

The words stuck in her throat. She had seen that kind of love before, with Lotho and Kani, and she had seen how Lotho's death had caused Kani to lose her heart and soul until there was almost nothing left to Larek's beautiful advisor.

But Kani was with Lotho now, united forever in the afterlife.

Shalimar sighed and wondered briefly how many other people would be eternally united in death before this war was over.

* * *

"Tess?" Valenti asked. He frowned slightly and turned away, hoping to hide his worried expression from Mr. Evans. "What do you want to know about her?" 

Mr. Evans noted Valenti's unease as he took a seat on the ex-Sheriff's sofa. "Oh, I just remembered that Max used to hang out with her a lot, and I was wondering where she disappeared to so abruptly?"

"She went back to the East Coast," Valenti answered. "New York. It's where she is originally from."

"So she was some sort of exchange student?" Mr. Evans asked in confusion. He remembered that when she had first moved her, her father had been here as well. Ethan? No, that wasn't right. Evan? Edward? Ed. Ed Harding…?

"Not exactly," Valenti replied. "She moved here with her father, but worked for the army, and they sent him off to… Alaska," Valenti lied. And then wondered briefly why the army would have sent a consultant to Alaska. Pushing valiantly on, he continued, "Tess didn't want to move to Alaska because she had moved around so much before in the past, and I was friends with Ed from a while ago, so I offered to host her."

"I see…"

The word was long and drawn out, and there was no doubt in Valenti's mind that Mr. Evans did see.

He saw right through the entire lie.

"Anything else you wanted?" Valenti asked hurriedly.

"Her phone number in New York?" Mr. Evans replied easily.

"Oh, well, I don't have that, but Kyle does. When he gets home, I'll have him give you a call," Valenti said, trying to buy some time for the aliens to figure out how to solve the mess. Mr. Evans nodded, the two exchanged a few pleasantries, then Valenti showed his guest the door.

Once Mr. Evans had departed, Kyle stepped out of the hallway where he had been hiding and listening to the conversation. He looked at his father for a moment, then out at the window where he could just see the Evans' car disappearing around the corner.

"We're screwed."

* * *

Arya crouched by the fire, peering through the dark night at the distant hills. She had spent the better part of the day talking to all of the commanders, making sure each unit was prepared and able to fight. She did not know how much longer they would have before Khivar attacked, but it couldn't be long. 

She stood and looked back behind her at her own army. They were anxious and full of nervous energy. Very few of them had ever fought in a real battle before, and none had fought Khivar's royal army in an all out war. But they had all been strengthened by years of hardship and guerilla warfare, and they were all filled with the persistence and passion of people who believed in the values and goals they were fighting for.

And they were ready.

Arya closed her eyes and reached, seeking the Queen's spirit. When she found it, she discovered that the Queen was troubled and discontent.

_My Lady? What is wrong?_

_I've had a revelation, Arya. An epiphany, if you will, and I do not think it bodes well for us._

_Oh? What was it? _Arya was concerned by the despair in the Queen's tone.

_Khivar cannot be defeated without the Royal Four._

Arya accepted the words without comment, thinking over them. It was true, the only ones with the strength to defeat Khivar were the royals, that was why the Resistance had gone to such great lengths to recreate their essence and send them somewhere safe. And it was why they were so upset when only the Queen returned.

_You know it is true, Arya. I cannot defeat Khivar without the others. What do I do now? How am I supposed to fight? _There was definite cynicism in her voice, and again, Arya was troubled.

"Lady Arya!"

Arya's eyes snapped open as the connection with the Queen was abruptly cut by the man frantically shaking her shoulder. She resisted the urge to yell at the soldier for interrupting her conversation, and instead asked sharply, "What?"

The soldier turned and pointed out into the distance. Through the dark light, Arya could see thousands of dark shapes moving, slowly filing over the hills and crossing the great expanse of open space. The moonlight reflected of their shining armor, revealing thin rapiers and long swords, and even from the distance, Arya could see the deadly look in their eyes.

Khivar's army was moving.

* * *

Jesse padded softly down the hallway and paused outside the door to his bedroom. It was well past midnight, and he knew Isabel would be fast asleep by now. He had told Isabel he was going to be stuck at work late, although he had been, in fact, meeting with Sheriff Hanson. 

He dropped his briefcase outside the door and rolled his stiff shoulders. Hanson had been of very little help, having no idea why Valenti was fired or where Tess had gone. The only bit of information he did have, which Jesse found more than a little interesting, was the disappearance of the Evans jeep. Around the same time Tess had left, Max Evans claimed to have sold his car, yet there was no record of a purchase having ever been made. And then there was the slight issue of the destroyed jeep that had been found at the bottom of a set of cliffs a few miles outside of Roswell a few months ago.

Jesse paused with his hand on the door knob and glanced down the hall to his wife's office. With Isabel asleep, now would be the perfect time to do a little at-home investigating.

Jesse entered the study flipped the light on, then shut the door firmly but softly. He blinked in the bright light and looked around. A desk was pushed up against one wall, piled high with school books, papers, and a computer. A large window was partially blocked by the filing cabinet, and at the opposite side of the room, a bookshelf leaned up against the wall.

Jesse walked over to the filing cabinet first. He ran his hand over the drawers, then paused at the bottom drawer. It was locked. Frowning, he looked around until he found a stray bobby pin and a paper clip sitting on the desk. He picked them up and bent them into straight wires, then quickly picked the lock, thinking of the irony of the situation as he did.

Here he was, a lawyer, breaking into his own wife's personal belongings.

A moment later, the lock gave way, and he pulled the drawer open. He reached for the first of the files, intent on pulling them out, when the sound of the door opening behind him caused him to stand and turn around sharply.

"Jesse?" Isabel was standing there, dressed in her pajamas, her eyes wide with shock and betrayal. "What are you doing?" Her gaze traveled to the lower drawer, and her eyes widened dramatically. "You broke into my filing cabinet? Why?"

And Jesse knew that there was no right answer to that question.

* * *

Next Chapter: The Nightmare Begins 

Due: Friday 2/10


	5. The Nightmare Begins

Title: Mythology

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

Author's note: This chapter is slightly violent, so be warned. Also, the first part of the chapter details the beginning of the war between the Resistance and Khivar. I wrote a few little excerpts for the battle scene, and in them, I gave each character a name. There is no reason to even bother trying to remember the names, these people are not important, I just needed to call them something other than soldier 1 and soldier 2, etc. They probably won't appear again, and if they do, they'll probably all die anyway.

The song is Mad World, from the Donny Darko soundtrack.

Please read and review.

* * *

this is the stuff of legends...

Chapter Five: The Nightmare Begins

_Day 5_

The first attack came with the rise of the sun, Khivar's army spilling out over the land like a flash flood. The royal army attacked with the ferocity and skill of trained soldiers, and the Resistance countered with the passion of rebels. The clash of swords and explosion of powers filled the air, ringing across the land. The ascending sun stained the sky red with light, and the dirt ran crimson with blood.

**_All around me are familiar faces  
Worn out places, worn out faces   
Bright and early for the daily races  
Going no where, going no where  
Their tears are filling up their glasses  
No expression, no expression   
Hide my head I wanna drown my sorrow  
No tomorrow, no tomorrow_**

Efande raised his sword with lightening quick reflexes and blocked the coming blow. He ducked to the right and jabbed out sharply, and was rewarded by the angry hiss of his opponent as his blade punctured the other soldier's armor. He stepped back, twisting away, and pausing to catch his breath.

All around him, the battle raged, soldiers dropping like flies onto the growing piles of bodies on the ground. His shoes were already strained with the blood of fallen comrades, fallen enemies, and his hair was matted with sweat and dirt.

He was a farmer. All he had ever been was a farmer. But two years ago, Khivar's army had approached his farm and demanded food and a place to stay. He was a poor man, hardly able to sustain himself and his family, and he had asked for compensation in return.

It had been the wrong answer.

That night, his farm had mysteriously caught fire, burning to the ground. His wife and oldest son had been trapped inside he flames, and both died long before help could reach them. Efande had taken his two remaining children, a son and a daughter, and fled the farm, seeking refuge in the Resistance base hear his house. Filled with the desire to do more, to fight harder, to end this horrible dictatorship, he had become a soldier.

And that choice had lead him here, to this battle, to this moment in time when the sky itself seemed to bleed the blood of heroes.

**_And I find I kind of funny, I find it kind of sad  
The dreams in which I'm dying are the best I've ever had  
I find it hard to tell you, I find it hard to take  
When people run in circles its a very very  
Mad world  
Mad world  
_**

Cara bent down next to a fallen soldier and pressed her hands over the wound, willing the power flowing through her veins to save the man's life. It was not easy, but then, nothing in war ever was. After a few heart wrenching moments, the gapping hole in the man's chest closed, and he opened his eyes, gasping for breath.

He stood shakily, his eyes filled with a thanks that he could never express in words, then he turned and swept back into the fray. And Cara slipped back into the ranks, seeking safety with the other healers.

They huddled together, darting in and out of the fighting soldiers every time they saw someone who could be healed. It had long been a custom in Antarian battle that healers could be killed when they were running to our from their patient, but not during the actual healing itself. The power was too great, too respected, and even Khivar would not break the unspoken law.

But Cara could not quite escape the irony of it all. As healers, it was their job to save the lives of other, but in the end, what was it they were saving their lives for? More death. More destruction, more pain, more heartbreak. She saved a soldier's life, and he went on to kill other until he himself died.

Where was the respect for life in that?

**_Children waiting for the day they feel good  
Happy birthday, happy birthday   
And I feel the way that every child should  
Sit and listen, sit and listen  
Went to school and I was very nervous  
No one knew me, no one new me  
Hello teacher tell me what's my lesson   
Look right through me  
Look right through me  
_**

"I never thought this day would come."

"I did not either."

The two men faced each other, each on opposite sides of the battle. Xar, tall and strong, filled with fire and passion, had been instantly popular among his friends. He was quick to smile, quick to scream, and quick to forgive. He was full of life, full of hope. Tor, small and skinny, was the exact opposite. He was a bookworm through and through, filling his days with books and lectures and classes. Quiet and soft-spoken, he was neither popular nor unpopular, but simply floated through life unnoticed.

But somehow, the two had been friends. Good friends.

And now they stood with their swords at each other's throat.

When Zan had been king, Tor's family had stood by his side, supporting him in everything he did. But Xar's family had thought he was trying to move too quickly, to do too many things. It had started as a simple debate and ended in a feud. Xar and Tor had remained friends through it all, until now.

Until today.

A lifetime's worth of memories were forgotten, cast aside in this all out struggle for the throne of Antar.

"For what its worth," Xar said quietly, "I forgive you if you kill me."

"And I forgive you," Tor replied.

The two looked at each other for a moment, saying their mental goodbyes, and then their battle began in earnest.

**_And I find I kind of funny, I find it kind of sad  
The dreams in which I'm dying are the best I've ever had  
I find it hard to tell you, I find it hard to take  
When people run in circles its a very very  
Mad world  
Mad world  
_**

"He looked in your filing cabinet?" Michael asked, pulling Isabel into hug and trying his best to come up with something that would reassure the distraught hybrid. He had been more than a little surprised when Isabel had shown up at his door in the middle of the night, demanding to speak to him and Max. But he had seen the fear and anger in her eyes, and had agreed willing.

"Why?" Max questioned from where he sat on the sofa.

Isabel pulled away from Michael and walked over to her brother, sitting down next to him. She ran a hand through her short hair, thinking absently that it would have been better if she had just left it blonde. Granted, she looked good no matter what color her hair was, but blonde was more suited for her skin tone and eye color.

"Izzy?"

Pulled out of her trivial thoughts, she glanced sideways at her brother and said, "He said it was because he was just worried about me." Her tone reflected her skepticism for the idea. She knew something else was going on, she just wasn't sure what it was. "He said I had been withdrawn lately, and he wanted to make sure nothing was wrong, but he felt like he couldn't talk to me." She shook her head in frustration.

"What was in that cabinet?" Michael asked, pacing across the floor.

"Mementos of Alex," Isabel explained. Michael and Max looked at her, and she rolled her pretty eyes. "Relax, nothing alien related. Do you really think I would be stupid enough to keep that stuff in my house?"

"Did Jesse see what it was?" Michael questioned slowly.

Isabel nodded. "Yeah, he did. And he asked about it, so I told him the truth. Or, at least, as much of the truth as I could tell him without serious problems."

"_Alex Whitman was my first boyfriend," Isabel explained, walking over to the drawer and slamming it shut. She didn't bother relocking it, what was the point?_

"_And you keep his belongings?" Jesse questioned. Somewhere deep inside, something he assumed was jealously flared at the thought._

_Isabel stared at him coolly. "Alex was the first boy I ever really loved, and he was killed in a car accident last year. I just held on to a few things to remember him by. A memorial, if you will."_

_Jesse paled slightly and said in a guilt-laden voice, "Oh, Isabel, I'm so sorry. I didn't realize…" He drew a shaky breath and stared at his wife with concerned eyes._

"_Of course not!" Isabel snapped back. "Heaven forbid you just ask me something instead of going through my stuff!" Her voice was rising in volume with each word and it dripped with sarcasm. "Where would the fun in that be?"_

"_Isabel…"_

"_Forget it, Jesse," Isabel snarled, spinning on her heal and stalking out of the room. She stormed down the hall, trying in vain to get her rapidly beating heart under some form of control._

Max stood up and gestured for Isabel to rise as well. He hugged her briefly, then said, "Isabel, listen to me. We are going to take care of this, I promise. And then, somehow, we are going to work things out for you and Jesse."

Isabel managed a weak smile and nodded slowly. Max turned and walked into the kitchen, searching out a glass of water for his sister, while Michael stepped over to Isabel and took her hand.

"Max is right," Michael agreed. Isabel raised an eyebrow at him, questioning, mocking. How often did those words ever come out of Michael's mouth? He glared at her without any real heat, and continued, "We'll work things out with your parents as well."

Isabel sighed. "I just wish things weren't like this between Jesse and I, you know?"

Michael nodded, but found that he was unable to actually muster any sympathy for the young lawyer. Somehow, he didn't feel all that upset that Isabel's marriage was hitting a few bumps in the road.

"How are things with you and Maria?" Isabel asked, turning away from Michael and accepting the glass of water Max handed to her as he entered the room.

Michael grimaced. "She's still mad at me for blaming the end of the world on Liz."

"Well, if she had just told us…"

"We all sent Tess away," Max pointed out, earning two scowls from Michael and Isabel. He shook his head and continued, "Look, all I am saying is that laying blame is not going to get us anywhere. We are all at fault." He turned to Michael. "Have you tried apologizing to Maria?"

"I even bought her flowers," Michael growled. "She's still mad." He glanced from Max to Isabel and back to Max again. "What am I supposed to do? By her an entire flower shop?"

"Probably wouldn't hurt," Isabel commented, although she suddenly found she wasn't all that upset that Michael and Maria were having problems.

* * *

Tess stretched and looked around the desert. They were low on water, lower than she would have liked, and low on food as well. And the distant mountains were looming near, but not near enough. How far would she have to walk? How far would she have to drag herself and her son before they finally reached safety? 

If you could even call it that.

War.

Arya had not contacted her since the abrupt disconnection of their link. And Tess knew exactly what that meant.

Khivar had attacked.

She was still five or six days from the mountains, and once she reached them, she would still have so much further to go. She wished she could talk to Arya, wished she could know exactly what was going on, but she didn't have the particular power. Sometimes she had prophetic dreams, but they always revolved around Max, Michael, Isabel, or her son. And as Sria had explained, blood bonds allowed all sorts of strange and unexpected gifts to appear.

She leaned back on the cold sand. The sunk had sunk hours ago, and she desperately wanted to sleep, to close her weary eyes and rest. In the open desert, there was little safety for her and her son, and she had long since learned to sleep lightly, jolting awake at the sound of wind through the sand or a scorpion creeping close.

It never ceased to amaze her, the animals that lived here. It was a barren land, without even the tiniest bit of green, yet a few insects and snakes managed somehow to live without water or food, seeming to subsist on the air and sand alone.

And, of course, all of the creatures just had to be poisonous.

She closed her eyes, one arm wrapped tightly around her son, and listened to the slight breeze. Slowly, she drifted into a blissful slumber, her mind conjuring up dreams for her to seek refuge in.

_The luscious trees swayed back and forth in the wind as Tess walked slowly through the garden. To her right, Sria was talking animatedly with Larek, arguing over politics. Up ahead, little Alex, now about five or six, was splashing around in a pond, chasing brightly colored Chinese gold fish through the water. Walking next to her, his hand linked in hers, was Max, but a different Max. He was older, and seemed more sure of himself, more kingly. On her other side was Kyle, and he was talking on his cell phone with his father._

_Everything was peaceful, perfect. Absurd, but perfect._

"_This is what you dream?"_

_Tess started, and spun around, finding herself staring into the eyes of the last person she had expected to see. "Khai…?"_

"_My Lady," Khai bowed his head. He looked around as the garden scene faded away. "So this is what you dream? A garden?" His voice was filled with derision, but it did not phase Tess anymore. She knew where his loyalties lay._

"_What would you dream?" Tess retorted._

"_Emptiness," Khai replied. Off Tess' confused look, he elaborated, "My life is filled with the chaos of war, when I want peace, I seek out emptiness." He paused, noting that the scene was now completely gone, and he and Tess were standing in a great expanse of black, a void. _

"_I didn't realize you had the ability to dream-walk," Tess commented. It took all her resolve not to fling herself into Khai's arms and tell him how happy she was to see him. Being caught in the desert, completely alone expect for her son, had made her miss adult contact. Even talking to Arya wasn't enough, because she couldn't see the other alien. She had started to think she might forget what other people looked like._

_Khai nodded. "I do," he replied easily. "But I don't use it that often. Dream-walking can be dangerous."_

"_Oh?" Tess frowned at that. "Isabel did it all the time without problems."_

"_That is because she primarily focused on humans. They use a tiny part of their brains, and it is easy to get in and out of their subconscious. Aliens use a much larger portion of their brains, so it is easy to get trapped in the mental pathways of your…host."_

_Tess thought of Laurie Dupree and nodded. A silence fell, until she said at last, "I'm guessing you didn't contact me just to give me a lecture on dream-walking?"_

_Khai shook his head. "There is a war happening, an all out battle. I could not reach Arya, she was not sleeping. I needed an update, I needed to know what was happening. Where am I needed?"_

"_Where are you now?" Tess asked. "I doubt there is little you can do from another planet."_

"_I'm not on another planet," Khai replied. "I'm on Antar."_

_Tess raised an eyebrow at that. "Hiding where no one would ever think to look? I take it I am not the only one who came up with that idea."_

"_I beg your pardon?" Khai asked politely, confused. _

_Tess blinked, and then remembered that he had no idea where she was. "I'm on Antar as well," she replied. "I'm in the desert."_

"_What?" Khai was stunned by the revelation, stunned and impressed. "How?"_

"_I was just about to ask you the same thing," Tess replied with a cat-like smile. "You tell me your story and I'll tell you mine."

* * *

_Next Chapter: The Terror Swells

Due: Wed 2/15


	6. The Terror Swells

Title: Mythology

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

Author's Note: Please see Author's note at the bottom of the chapter. Italics are dreams. The chapter start pretty much directly where the last one left off, with Khai and Tess talking in Tess' dream. So if you don't remember that, you might want to read the last couple lines of the last chapter.

Oh, and please read and review.

* * *

this is the stuff of legends...

Chapter Six: The Terror Swells

_Day 6 _

_"Morxan helped me," Khai explained with a grin. "He chartered a trading ship to take textiles from Byor to L'so. It is a long journey, and the ship conveniently had to dock for fueling on an outpost near the trade center of Antar." _

_Tess accepted this in silence, then asked, "Antar keeps its trading docks open during a war?" _

_"It has too," Khai replied heavily. "The war has been in existence for decades, if Antar closed down its trade, it would have hit a recession by now." _

_"So you smuggled in with the ship?" Tess asked. She marveled at the ease in which she asked these questions, and the immediate response they drew. Only a few months ago, she would have been loathe to show her ignorance of Antarian customs, and only a few months ago, Khai would have mocked her lack of knowledge. _

_So much had changed in those short months. _

_"Morxan managed to get the ship charted through a colleague of his so that Khivar would not suspect any ulterior motives. I disguised myself as a tradesman, and then slipped away unnoticed once we landed. It will be ages before Khivar realizes what has happened. If he ever actually does…" _

_"He will," Tess countered glumly. With enough time, there was nothing Khivar and his royal army couldn't do. _

_"Yes," Khai agreed slowly. "He has already started a full scale war, I believe." _

_Tess nodded and bit her lip, wondering how to voice her concerns. At last, she said, "Khivar would not have started such a war unless he was sure he could gain something indescribably important from it. It worries me, because we do not know what his end game is." _

_"Yes, we do," Khivar retorted. "His end game is your son's death." _

_"Great," Tess muttered. She sighed, knowing that Khai was right. Alex would always be the greatest threat to Khivar's rule, and in a way, she found it funny that a three-month-old child would inspire so much fear. _

_Funny, but terrifying. _

_"We will stop him before he ever gets that far," Khai assured her. _

_"Where are you now?" Tess asked, trying to think, to plan. _

_"I'm in Eastern Antar. In the province of Qutael," Khai replied. "And I have the Granolith with me." _

_Tess nodded. "I assumed as much," she replied quietly. "Although, to be honest, until just now, I wasn't even sure if you were alive." _

_"I'm not an easy person to kill," Khai answered with a trace of smugness. "Now, tell me, how did you end up in the desert? And why?" _

_"Shalimar and the ship's captain took me there. Through the secret passageway so that Khivar would not know I was here. I have spent the past few months crossing the desert on foot." As she said the words, she found she was suddenly worn out. Just thinking about how far she had come and how far she had left to go left her exhausted and weary. _

_It was the first time that Tess had ever seen the Antarian General at a complete loss for words. _

_"Where are you walking to?" he managed at last. _

_"The Fel Mountains. The Resistance base there. Arya has been contacting me at night, guiding me on my way. Once I reach there, it should only take me a few days to reach the battle site." _

_Khai thought about this for a moment, considering the different aspects of her plan. Then he said, "And the battle? That is being fought by the capital city?" _

_"Yes, near the Landra River," Tess replied instantly. "Perhaps it would be best if you went there. Arya could certainly use your help." _

_Khai contemplated his choices, then shook his head. "I think it would be better if I came to meet you. I could bring you the Granolith, you won't be able to defeat Khivar without it." _

_Tess lapsed into silence, pondering her options. Finally, she nodded. "If that is what you think it best… How long will it take you to reach the desert?" _

_"A few days," Khai replied. "I don't need to go on foot, but I don't think I'll take major transportation either. It is better to stay under the radar for now, I don't know who all might be looking for me, and I am a high profile enemy." _

_"True," Tess rejoined with a smile. _

_"Alright," Khai instructed. "Keep walking towards the Resistance base. I travel there as well, and meet you as soon as I can. It would probably be best not to tell Arya of my presence, the less people who know, the better." _

_Tess nodded reluctantly, feeling the control slip from her hands. But part of being a good Queen was knowing when to lead and when to follow, and Khai knew the art of war better than she did. "Fine," she consented. "Get here as soon as you can." _

_"Ava?" Khai murmured. "Are you…you seem…troubled." _

_Tess debated telling him about her revelation, that she needed Max, Isabel, and Michael to defeat Khivar, but decided against it. There was nothing he could do, and this was a problem she would have to work out on her own. Instead, she said simply, "I am scared." _

_"It lingers in the air, doesn't it?" Khai agreed. "The feeling that the end is near?" _

_Tess drew a deep breath, a smile stretching at the corners of her lips. "Khivar's end," she muttered to herself, but Khai caught the words and grinned. Drawing another breath, she continued, "You had better go. Get here as soon as you can, I hope to reach the Fel in the next several days. We have little time." _

_"True, my Lady," Khai agreed. "Very true." _

_"Don't call me that," Tess said suddenly. Khai raised an eyebrow, and she elaborated, "Don't call me 'my Lady.' Call me Ava. I prefer it." _

_Khai consented with a nod, his eyes questioning that order. _

_"My strength comes from the two weeks I spent with you and the others on Larek's planet learning how to be a leader, a Queen. You called me Ava then, I need a reminder of it, of all I went through to get here." _

_"You are a Queen now," Khai objected gently. "You need no reminder." _

_Tess laughed bitterly. "Of course I do. Every leader needs the reminder that they are no different from every other person on the planet. A reminder that, in the end, all they are is a servant to the good of their people. That is why I fight this battle, why I do not remain on Earth, why I do not hide from danger. The people need me to stop this despot king. " She closed her eyes, willing herself to wake up. As the dream faded away, she whispered, "And I will bring Khivar to his knees."

* * *

_

Arya watched as her soldiers engaged in battle, watched as they fell unceremoniously to the sword. She bit her lip to keep from screaming at how completely pointless this entire battle was. She wished briefly that she knew what Khivar's ultimate plan was, why he was attacking here and now. She wished she knew what the next step in this war would be, she wished she knew how to prepare. She wished she knew what she was supposed to do next.

Ceyla appeared at her side suddenly, and whispered, "It isn't going well."

"We are outnumbered ten to one, if not worse," Arya replied. "I did not expect it to go well."

"We should retreat and stick to night attacks. Guerilla warfare tactics and raids. We can't beat Khivar in an all out battle," Ceyla suggested, worried. She did not like this bloodshed, she did not like seeing needless death. She was not cut out for war.

"We can't," Arya replied grimly. If we don't attack Khivar now, he will destroy the cities around us, and it will ruin whatever hope the planet has. The only reason the Resistance has been able to hold on for so long after the destruction of Larek's planet was because of the rumors about the Queen coming. They are waiting for a hero, but if they think the battle is already lost…" She sighed and pushed her silver hair out of her eyes.

They had spread rumors about the Queen, telling the entire planet of her imminent arrival. Careful to keep out the details, careful to make it seem like she was on another planet, careful to protect the secrets from Khivar's ever prying spies. But the rumors had been spread, and they had boosted the morale of the Resistance, indeed of the entire planet, and if Khivar found a way to crush that hope…

"I know," Ceyla said heavily. "We can't afford to back down from this fight, but if we continue, we will all die. What do we do?"

"Pray for a miracle," Arya muttered.

* * *

Khivar stared at the technology before him. It never ceased to amaze him, the brilliance of his scientists. How they had ever created such a device, a mechanism that defied the basic laws of possession, was beyond him. But they had, and with it, he could reach out for anyone in the universe.

Provided he knew where they were.

A small matter, a limitation that frustrated him whenever he thought of the Queen. He could find her and kill her in a heartbeat, if only he knew where she was. What planet, what solar system, what galaxy?

He smiled suddenly. He had found a way around that little flaw. He had discovered the information necessary to track down the Queen. It would take time, a few days, a week, maybe two weeks, but he could do it. Now that the Resistance was so distracted by war, there would be no one to stop him.

It was time to execute the plan.

If he had simply possessed someone within the halls of the Resistance's bases, he would have been seen and killed on the spot. But on a battle field…who would notice one person acting strangely among all the horror of war?

And someone on that field had to know where Shalimar was. Someone of high enough rank. He did not know who it would be, but he could find out. He _would_ find out. And once he had Shalimar, she would lead him to the Queen, to the Heir, and to his eventual complete domination of Antar.

And yet…as he thought that, he couldn't help but feel a pang in his heart. He had everything he wanted…except her.

Except Vilandra.

And even with the entire planet of Antar at his feet, her absence left him empty and lost.

* * *

_"She what?" Mr. Evans asked quietly, pacing the floor of his study as he watched Jesse's glum face. A silence met those words, long and drawn out. _

_Isabel watched the scene with growing horror. She did not want to be here, to see this, to know what her father and husband thought she was capable of, but now that she had entered Jesse's dream, she couldn't find the strength to leave. _

_"Who was Tess?" Jesse asked. _

_"Tess was… She was a friend of Kyle Valenti's actually. She lived with the Valentis for about a year, then left. I don't know the details of it," Mr. Evans replied. _

_Isabel glanced over at her father. No, she thought bitterly, he really didn't know the details of it. _

_"Did she actually leave?" Jesse asked, and Isabel drew her breath in sharply. How could he ever think her capable of… She shook her head, unwilling to think the words. _

_"I don't believe Isabel or Max could ever…you know…do that to someone," Mr. Evans staunchly defended his children. Isabel smiled, until she saw the doubt in his eyes. _

_"What do you want me to do?" Jesse asked. Another silence fell, as each thought about the possible courses of action, and Isabel watched in growing concern. _

_"I'm going to call over to the Valentis'," Mr. Evans said at last, "and ask a few questions about this Tess girl." _

_"Do you think they know what is going on?" Jesse wanted to know. _

_ "Something weird was happening with the Sheriff…uh, I guess he isn't the sheriff anymore…with Jim around the time Tess left. Jim went on a whole bunch of crazy missions and ended up losing his job. I think the FBI might have been involved, but I don't know." _

_Isabel ran a hand through her short hair and suddenly found herself wishing that she had left it long and blonde. She had no idea why a thought like that would occur to her now, but it did, and it wouldn't leave her alone. She was almost tempted to use her powers to change it then and there, but Jesse was speaking again, and she turned her attention to him. _

_ "Who's the Sheriff now?" _

_"One of Valenti's deputies. Hanson, I believe," Mr. Evans replied. "Why don't you talk to him? He might have some answers, and he may be more willing to share them than Jim." _

_"Or you could just trust us," Isabel muttered under her breath. _

_"Mr. Evans? What are we going to do if we find something?" _

_"That," Mr. Evans replied slowly, "depends on what we find." _

Isabel started awake and rolled over in bed, fighting back the urge to scream. It was the middle of the night, and she had crashed on Michael's sofa, not wanting to go back to her house. Max usually slept on the sofa, but he had graciously offered it to her, taking the floor instead.

She glanced over at her brother, who was fast asleep in his sleeping bag, then hissed, "Max, wake up!"

Max opened his eyes slowly and glanced blurrily at his sister. His gaze traveled from her fearful eyes to her right hand, to the index finger that was still placed firmly on a picture of Jesse from their wedding.

"What did you see?" he asked quietly, knowing by the paleness of her skin and the slight shaking in her shoulders that she had seen something bad.

"Dad and Jesse think we killed Tess," Isabel breathed slowly. "They think we…we _murdered_ her."

* * *

Next Chapter: The Fire Burns 

Due: Sunday 2/19

Author's Note: I'd like to take a poll. Would people rather have Max and Isabel convince their parents to leave well enough alone and stop the investigation, or would it be better if they had to eventually tell them the truth? I have ideas for both, but I don't know which one to do, so I'd like to know what other people think.


	7. The Fire Burns

Title: Mythology

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

Author's note: Thanks to everyone who left suggestions about how to handle the investigation on Earth, it was great appreciated. I have an idea now of what I am going to do, and I took bits and pieces of ideas from everyone, so thank you again. This chapter doesn't have any of Earth in it, it deals with Khivar and Tess instead. The next chapter will bring Earth in again. And Maiz, who appears in the second half of this chapter, will not be important after this part, so don't bother trying to remember her later on.

* * *

Okay, just a reminder of who the major players still alive are: 

Tess of course

Alex-Tess's son, named after Alex Whitman

Nicolas and Khivar-same people they were on the show

Arya-the regional ruler from the province of Tel'ai, which is the capital province on Antar. She was recently deposed by Khivar and is now the leader of the Resistance

Khai-main general, used to be the leader of the Resistance, now the Protector of the Granolith, Rath's younger brother

Shalimar-a member of the Resistance, helped Tess escape, now in hiding from Khivar

Ceyla-A General of the Resistance under Arya

Places of importance:

Tel'ai-capital province of Antar, has Dimaras Rock, where Zan met Ava. The Triaji Desert, the Cortai Jungle, the Landra River, and the Fel Mountains are all located in this province as well.

Antar-the capital city of Antar has the same name as the planet.

Mt. Sinai-a mountain in Tel'ai, it's name means (in Antarian) 'mountain of fate' 

* * *

this is the stuff of legends...

Chapter Seven: The Fire Burns

_Day 7_

Arya choked as the smoke filled the air. She wiped the tears out of her burning eyes and peered through the thick haze. In front of her, the fields had burst into flame, a fire that burnt faster and hotter than any other.

Weapon-fire.

The royal army was using the fire as a shield, letting it advance on the Resistance, and then attacking once the Resistance had been forced to seek safety from the flames behind rocks and boulders. Soldiers were dying left and right, it was now almost impossible to retreat without tripping over the bodies of fallen friends and comrades.

They needed a plan, and they needed one fast.

Arya shook her head. This was not her element. She was a regional ruler, not a commander of armies. This was a job for Khai, or Rath, or Zan. Someone who knew how to fight, how to lead soldiers into battle, how to rush headlong into certain death, and do it with dignity and courage.

But Zan and Rath were long since dead, and Khai was somewhere far away, hiding amongst the stars or asteroids of a different galaxy.

Arya sighed and pushed backward through the fray of soldiers. She found a rock, large and towering, that cast a deep shadow over the field, and his behind it. Drawing a breath of smoky air, she closed her eyes and sent her spirit out into the void.

It was dangerous to create a mental link in the heat of battle. It left her body vulnerable and helpless, and she could only pray that no enemy would see her before she awoke.

But she was not a leader of armies, and she needed to speak to someone who was.

_Arya._

_My Lady._

_When you did not contact me for two days, I feared the worst._

Arya smiled at the comment. It was a grim smile, and she answered with a grim tone. _Don't count your blessings yet, my Lady. We are in trouble._

_What sort of trouble?_

Arya could hear the worry and fear in the Queen's question, and knew it was valid. The Queen's plan rested on her being able to reach the Resistance before it was crushed. Her crazy dash across a burning wasteland would mean nothing if they could not hold out until she got there.

And if they were destroyed…

All was lost.

_We can't hold, my Lady. Khivar's army is too strong, and they have killed too many of us. But if we retreat, the planet will lose faith in us, and the Resistance will not have the courage to continue._

_Arya, is Khivar's entire army out there?_

_Yes._

_And you are by the Landra River?_

_Yes._

There was a silence, and Arya got the impression that the Queen was thinking, trying to come up with a plan. Finally, an reply came, hesitant and unsure, but filled with determination.

_If you were to retreat, would be able to get around Mt. Sinai? So that you were in between it and the Fel Mountains?_

_Yes, but retreating is not a good idea, my Lady._ Arya did not like the plan, but she could sense that there was something else in it, some idea that the Queen had that might save them all. _Why do you suggest it?_

_If you can pull back, you will lead the army right towards Mt. Sinai. You can circle around the back and attack with guerilla warfare while they are crossing the rocks. _

_Guerilla warfare doesn't work on an entire army._

_It did it Vietnam._

_What?_ Arya frowned, not recognizing the reference.

_When Max first found out he was king, he did a lot of research on different wars. I was trying to be…supportive…so I helped him with some of it. Guerilla warfare works if you do it well enough._

_Maybe in human battles, but the skins have powers beyond that of a human, my Lady. They will find us and crush us._

_Maybe. _There was agreement in Tess' voice, a sense that she might not be able to stop the inevitable. But she continued with more hope._ But maybe you can hold out long enough. Just a few more days, Arya. That's all I need. A retreat will by you that time, and by engaging in ambushes, the Resistance will keep courage._

_Or it will kill us all. If we retreat, we risk going on the defensive, and without a strong offensive, how can we survive?_

_Do you have a better idea? _Tess' pointed question was filled with frustration. _What else will help us now?_

_A miracle?_

_We make our own miracles, Arya._

Arya sighed and nodded to herself. The Queen had a point, what choice did they have? They would die if they stood their ground and fought. There were too many skins and too little time. Switching subjects, she asked a different question.

_Have you thought about how you are going to reach the other Royals? If you need the Four Square to defeat Khivar?_

_I have an idea, but it is not much more than that._

Arya contemplated remark._ I wish you were here, my Lady. I wish Khai was here._

_Maybe he will be soon._

_We don't even know where he is. Or if he is alive. _Arya prayed he was, she liked him well enough. And he was the Protector of the Granolith, if he was dead, it meant the powerful royal heirloom had fallen into the wrong hands.

_I have no doubt that he is alive. And no doubt that he will come._ The words were thought with such conviction that Arya could not help but believe the Queen.

Although it made her wonder.

_You are putting a lot of faith in a man you have not spoken to since you fled Antar. _Arya's statement was a question, and a suspicious one at that. What did the Queen know that she did not want to tell?

There was a pause, then an answer._ No, I am putting my faith in a man who's loyalty t the good of the planet has never wavered once in these past several decades. Khai will come when we need him the most._

Arya hesitated, then gave her reply._ Just like you did. _And she fancied she felt the Queen smile at the comment.

But the Queen's next words were sharp and filled with worry. _Arya, you need to wake up._

_What? Why?_

_I don't know. I just…I just know…you need to break the connection. Now!_

Arya forced a snap in the link and opened her eyes in time to see a long, thin sword swinging towards her head. She rolled out of the way and released a quick blast of energy, knocking the attacking skin away from her. She stood and grabbed the fallen sword, dispatching the solider with one clean sweep of the blade.

She had only a moment to wonder how the Queen had known she was in danger before she was swept back into the fray.

* * *

The only indication Maiz gave that something was wrong was the fluttering of her eyelids. She had lifted her sword to strike a skin, and she hesitated, just for a brief moment, before finishing the blow. No one noticed the pause, or the darkness in her eyes. 

No one noticed that she was different.

And inside her body, Khivar silently congratulated himself on his success so far. Maiz was the daughter of a noble in Zan's court, and she was well known among the royal house of Zan for her patriotism and loyalty to the one-time king. Khivar had known she would be on the field, and since he had met her several times before, she seemed like a good person to posses.

"Retreat!"

Khivar-Maiz turned and looked back at the soldiers. They were scrambling over the dead bodies away from the flames. Someone had ordered a retreat.

"Come on!" a soldier called, reaching out to grab Khivar-Maiz's arm. "They've ordered a retreat!"

"Who?" Khivar-Maiz asked as he allowed himself to be pulled away from the battle.

"The leaders," the other soldier replied, rolling his eyes as though it was obvious.

Khivar-Maiz waited for the man to elaborate, but he didn't. "I didn't hear it," he said at last, hoping to draw answers out of the man. Some clue, something to go on. It occurred to him then that he had no idea who was leading the Resistance.

"The soldiers have been screaming it, how did you not hear?" the other soldier asked derisively.

"I didn't here it from the general," Khivar-Maiz pressed. "How do we know the soldiers aren't just afraid of the fire?" It was the wrong thing to say, and the other soldier stopped and spun around, his face white with fury.

"Are you calling us cowards?"

"No!" Khivar-Maiz quickly backtracked. "But I didn't hear the order."

"Of course not," the soldier replied contemptuously. "You know the leader never lets herself be seen. Whoever she is, she doesn't want Khivar to know she is here." They had reached a set of stone rocks, and were quickly scrambling up over them. The dunes sloped down to their right, and the soldiers were pouring over them as they disappeared into the distance.

Khivar-Maiz blinked at the comment. Who was leading the Resistance? For one terrifying moment, he wondered if the Queen had reached them safely. Then he dismissed the idea as preposterous, how could she be on Antar? He had ever airspace watched. But if it was not her, then who was it?

A man appeared, and by the bars on the front of his uniform, Khivar-Maiz could tell he was a captain. He began issuing orders in a sharp bark, worry etched on his features.

"Fall back and flank the archers. We want to keep the skins occupied for as long as possible while the healers and wounded get back. it's a three day trek around the mountain, and we want to get to the other side all in one piece. Move!"

Khivar-Maiz frowned. So the Resistance was retreating around Mt. Sinai? Did they plan to engage at the foothills? It was a good plan, he realized with a start. If they could circle to the other side of the mountain, they could lay claim to the rocks and crevices in the labyrinth of foothills and use those to ambush the royal army without being caught or seen.

Unless the royal army could keep them occupied long enough to send a contingent around to the foothills and lay claim to them first…

Khivar-Maiz made a mental note to himself to order that course of action as soon as he was done with the task at hand.

The other soldier drew his sword again and turned to face the attacking skins. He conjured energy and ran it up and down the length of his blade, ready to fight. Khivar-Maiz watched for a moment, then drew his own sword as well.

"How does your father let you fight?" the other soldier asked as he eyed the approaching enemy. "I have a son your age, and it kills me every time he does something for the Resistance."

"What does she do?" Khivar-Maiz asked as he looked down the length of his silver sword. It was light and the handle was made of bright red metal with tiny gold flowers. Definitely a woman's sword, he decided with a sneer.

"He's a pilot," the other soldier replied. He smiled proudly and, lowering his voice, whispered, "Rumor has it he was one of the men who transported some very important cargo out of Larek's planet." He gave Khivar-Maiz a conspiratorial smile and a wink.

"The Queen…?" Khviar-Maiz breathed. Could it actually be this simple? Could the information he need be right there in front of him?

"Bet you would have liked to see her," the solider said quietly. "I know I would have liked to meet the Queen. And I know every girl in the world wanted to be here on her wedding day…" He shook his head and sighed, giving Khivar-Maiz a smile.

"I wonder where she is now," Khivar-Maiz said, trying to keep his voice light and trustworthy.

"She'll be here soon," the other soldier said staunchly. "My son said he also transported the Queen's friend…Shalimar, I believe… and she is on this planet. If she is here, the Queen must be close as well, right? She must be coming to us." His faith in the Queen did not waver, because, like all the soldiers, he needed to believe that she was coming, that they would be saved soon.

He needed to believe in a miracle.

"Shalimar is here?" Khivar-Maiz breathed. "On Antar?" He reached out abruptly and placed his hand on the other soldier's forehead, creating a link and forcing the mental barriers aside. The answers he wanted flowed through his fingertips, and he felt a sudden surge of excitement. He could see it, the farm and the fields, the rising sun casting light over the corn and tomato crops, the wheat glistening in the morning dew.

He knew where Shalimar was.

Khivar-Maiz swung the sword once, and the other soldier barely had time to realize he had made a mistake before the blade connected with his skin, and his world faded to black.

* * *

"Shal? Are you alright?" Yon ran to his friend's side as she fell to her knees on the damp earth, clutching her head in pain. 

After a moment, Shalimar stood and nodded slowly, running a hand through her dark hair. "I'm okay," she whispered. "I just… felt something bad."

"What do you mean?"

But Shalimar didn't answer. She turned and looked around her at the fields of crops, and found she could not shake the feeling that something had happened, something big.

And it scared her.

She shook her head and tried to reassure herself that everything was alright. Khivar could not have destroyed the Resistance yet, or they would have heard the news. And he could not have killed the Queen, because he had no idea where she was. Only a handful of people did, and they wouldn't talk to him.

Right?

Finding the Queen would be like finding a proverbial needle in a haystack.

But she couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong, and it scared her, terrified her, because…

Because fate had a funny way of screwing everything up.

* * *

Next Chapter: The Thunder Crashes 

Due Date: Friday 2/24


	8. The Thunder Crashes

Title: Mythology

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

Author's note: Okay, so this chapter ended up in a completely different place from where I thought it would. I hope you like it, I think I reached a good turning point for Tess and for those still on Earth. The song is Vienna Teng's _Momentum_ (one of my favorite songs of all time), but I only put in a few verses and not the entire song, so if you want to know all the lyrics, you should listen to the song (it is sooooo good).

Also, about Khivar finding where Shalimar is staying, I do agree that it happened very quickly. And Khivar's incredible luck will be discussed in a later chapter, so just keep reading at it will be more clear later.

* * *

this is the stuff of legends…

Chapter Eight: The Thunder Crashes

_Day 8_

"Okay, how about this?" Maria suggested. "Isabel could talk to Jesse, try to convince him to drop the entire investigation?"

"How?" Isabel snapped back. "Tell him I have secrets that I'm hiding but can he please not look into them?" She shook her head in frustration and glanced over at Max and Michael.

The five of them were meeting in the Crashdown after closing. Max and Liz sat side by side in a booth, while Michael paced restlessly across the floor. Maria was perched on a chair nearby, and Isabel was leaning against the wall, her arms folded across her chest.

"Well, if you can be convincing enough…"

"He thinks we murdered Tess," Isabel spat. "What lie could I give that would be convincing enough to make him drop it?"

"Well, do you have any suggestions?" Maria demanded harshly. When Isabel did not reply, the blonde human continued in a huff, "Then I think my idea is probably the best one, seeing as it is the _only_ one we've got."

"Then we had better start coming up with different ideas," Isabel quipped back.

"What, my ideas aren't good enough?"

"Guys, this isn't helping," Liz cut in, resting her head in her hands as she propped her elbows up on the table. "We need to all take a deep breath and calm down, okay? We need to find a solution to this problem, and fast, so that we can deal with the end of the world."

"Lucky us," Michael muttered coolly.

"Is there anything at all we could say to Jesse that he would believe?" Max asked, glancing over at his sister.

Isabel considered the question for a moment, then proposed, "Maybe if we could come up with a reason why Tess left…"

"And what reason would that be?" Michael asked gruffly, rubbing his tired eyes.

"Tess was…friends with Alex and upset when he died?" Liz suggested.

"And what? She decided to skip town? How does that figure in the whole us killing her thing?" Isabel asked, puncturing a hole in Liz's idea.

"Something about the baby?" Maria asked, glancing over at Max.

Max was silent for a moment, thinking. Then he nodded slowly. "You know, that might work. We still need to figure out why we would have said we killed her, though."

"Abusive boyfriend," Michael said. All eyes turned to him, and he elaborated. "She had an abusive boyfriend back…where did she say she was from last. New York?"

Isabel nodded, picking up the story. "She and Max had this thing, and she got pregnant. But then she had to move back with her father, so she went back to New York."

"Max let her leave when he knew she was pregnant?" Liz asked skeptically. "I don't think his parents would buy that."

"I didn't know," Max said. He bit his lip, weighing his options. "I didn't know until Ed Harding called me to tell me that Tess was pregnant. But at that point, her boyfriend…" he grinned suddenly, "…whom we'll call Nicolas, Nick for short, had already found out, and beat her up."

"And she died?" Maria asked, not liking the story.

"We didn't know," Isabel murmured. "We could have stopped her from leaving, could have protected her, but we didn't know she was in danger, and by the time we found out, it was too late."

"This plan is just crazy, reckless, and stupid enough to work," Michael commented with a satisfied nod. He glanced at Isabel. "Can you pull it off?"

"I can try," Isabel replied. She turned to Max. "But what if Dad looks into the story?"

"Sheriff Valenti can help us with some stuff," Max replied thoughtfully. "We have to let him and Kyle know what our plan is anyway. Oh, and Cal can help us." At the blank looks he received, he elaborated, "Cal is the other shape-shifter. The one in L.A. But movie producer who is biologically programmed to obey my orders."

"What if Tess comes back?" Liz asked.

There was a silence, then Max said slowly, "I don't think she's going to be coming back to Roswell. Maybe somewhere else on Earth, but I don't see her willingly coming back here."

Michael and Isabel nodded their agreement to that one, but Maria was not entirely convinced. "If she comes back to Earth, she's going to have to come here."

"Well, we'll cross that bridge when we get there," Max declared. He knew it was a valid point, but he couldn't explain or shake the feeling that Tess was not coming back to Roswell. Ever.

"Okay, well, I'd better find Jesse," Isabel said at last. She pushed herself away from the wall and took a few steps towards the door, when a wave of dizziness swept over her, and a moment later she had fallen to her knees, to her side, and into darkness.

* * *

Tess pulled her son on to her lap and closed her eyes, taking a breath. "Okay, Alex, do you remember when I had you reach out to connect with Isabel? I need you to do this for me again. Okay, baby?"

Alex looked up at his mother, his blue eyes wide with childhood innocence.

"Come on, sweetie," Tess whispered, "I know you can do this. Just try to find Auntie Isabel." She blinked suddenly, surprised that she had used the word Auntie. Was she starting to think of Isabel as her sister again?

Alex blinked and yawned, his tiny hands clutched into fists around Tess' hair.

"No, Alex, don't pull Mommy's hair," Tess murmured, pulling her hair out of her grasp. "Can you find Auntie Isabel? Please?"

Alex closed his eyes and let his head fall to one side.

"Oh for God's sake," Tess muttered.

And then, quite suddenly, her conscious was sent headlong into the void, and she barely had a chance to register the empty darkness before she had made contact with something both strange and familiar. She was hit with rushing emotions and images, with colors and feelings and thoughts. The darkness around her was murky and heavy and almost overwhelming.

And then she was through.

**_always I am mistaken  
I look for love I find a storm  
of all the seasons winter befriends me  
I come to you in friendship  
and hold my breath against the snow  
what are you thinking as I gaze into you_**

She was standing in empty darkness again, but this time she was holding Alex in her arms. And Isabel was standing in front of her, staring at Tess and Alex with shock and surprise.

"See, I knew you could do it," Tess cooed at her son, never taking her eyes off of Isabel. "Where you sleeping?" she asked calmly, regarding the taller hybrid.

"No, I was at the Crashdown," Isabel replied. "I think…I think I passed out."

"Oh…" Tess glanced down at her son. "I didn't realize he had the ability to form connections with people who were awake."

"This is your son?" Isabel asked, taking a few steps forward. She gave Tess a hesitant look, but when hybrid queen made no move to stop her, she took the next several steps and peered down into the bundle in Tess' arms. "He's beautiful. He's got your eyes."

"Yes," Tess replied simply. "He is and he does."

"What's his name?" Isabel asked.

"Alex," Tess replied. Isabel looked up sharply in surprise, her eyes questioning, and Tess continued, "He lost his life because of this war. I thought it appropriate to name my son after him, given his sacrifice for us."

Isabel nodded slowly, then said, "I assume you didn't contact me to talk about your son?"

Tess sighed and shook her head. "I need your help."

"With what?" Isabel asked. She ran a hand through her short hair and studied Tess intently. "We're having some problems as well."

"Oh?" Despite herself, Tess was interested and worried for the others.

"My Dad is looking into everything about us, and Liz had a vision of the end of the world," Isabel explained. Tess raised an eyebrow, and Isabel elaborated, "Apparently in about ten years, Khivar is going to come here and take over Earth, and because we don't have the Four Square, we can't defeat him."

Tess nodded slowly. "Well, actually, it was the last of those problems I've come to talk to you about. I may have a solution to it. I am going to face Khivar in the battle field in a few days, and I need you, Michael, and Max to help me with that."

"We're still on Earth," Isabel replied, frowning slightly. "How can we help you?"

"A friend of mine…a general of the Resistance…is bringing the Granolith to me. With it, I should be able to reach out and connect with you, draw on your power. I can channel it through the Granolith into me, and use it to defeat Khivar."

"Is that possible?" Isabel breathed, impressed.

Tess shrugged. "The only things that are impossible are the things you believe you can't do," she answered quietly. It was the sort of thing Sria or Larek would have said, and she felt the tears well up in her eyes at the memories of her friends.

Isabel noticed the tears, but tactfully chose not to comment on them. Instead, she said, "How do we give you our power?"

"I don't know," Tess replied honestly. "I don't know how you give it to me, and I don't know when I will need it."

"Then how…?"

"You'll know," Tess said confidently. She looked up into Isabel's eyes. "You will know, when the time comes, what to do and how to do it. Trust me."

"I do," Isabel said softly, her answer barely audible.

Tess stared at Isabel for a moment, then nodded. "I know," she said. She bit her lip, hesitating for a moment, then continued, "I'm glad Khivar did not manage to turn you. Or, at least, I'm glad he did not manage to keep you as Vilandra."

"How did you know…?"

"I saw most of it," Tess replied. "I've had prophetic dreams. Only a few, but that was one of them…" Her eyes hardened. "I saw you doubt me once again."

"Khivar…"

"Khivar lied."

"We know that now," Isabel answered. "And we are sorry."

Tess didn't respond for a moment, then she said, "If you can handle your father's investigation, I can take care of Khivar. Just be ready for me to connect with you when the time comes."

Isabel nodded. "I'll pass the message along to Michael and Max."

"Good."

There was an awkward silence, then Isabel gathered her courage and said, "We really are sorry, Tess. I know it doesn't mean much, but we…we miss you."

**_forgive me the confusion  
forgive me as I realize my thoughts betrayed  
you are the answer  
cry and smile the same_**

"I miss you, too." The words were out of Tess' mouth before she could stop them.

Isabel quickly covered her surprise and stared at Tess with an unreadable expression. "Do you?" she asked at last.

Tess looked at Isabel, then down at her son. "I know you trust me now, Isabel, and I wish to God you had trusted me before. I'm not going to lie and say that I harbor no anger or hatred for you. But I'm also not going to lie and say that all I feel is hatred. Your trust means the world to me, but gaining it cost me everything that I cared about. So thinking of you is…bittersweet."

Isabel was crying, silent tears sliding down her cheeks as she stared at the woman who could have been her best friend. "I'm so sorry, Tess…"

"I know. And I know that, if you could, you would be here, with me, facing Khivar at my side. But you aren't here, and you _can't_ be here, and that is a truth we all have to deal with." Tess looked away. "If I die, that's your fault. If we fail, that's your fault. Whatever happens, Isabel, is _your_ fault."

She turned and looked back at Isabel. Shifting Alex' weight to one arm, she freed her other hand and placed it on Isabel's elbow. "But, if it helps you sleep easier at night, I forgive you for this." Isabel looked up, startled. "I forgave you a while ago."

* * *

Khivar paced the room slowly, thinking. Nicolas stood to one side, watching the skin king. He knew the plan had been a success, Khivar had learned what he wanted to know, and more. He had ordered his army to send a contingent of soldiers to the base of Mt. Sinai and make sure the Resistance did not manage to take it, and he himself was preparing for the journey to Shalimar.

But something else was bothering Khivar.

"Your Majesty?" Nicolas ventured.

"She loves him," Khivar said abruptly, turning to look over at Nicolas. "She loves him, I can feel it. Even all the way over here."

Nicolas frowned at the enigmatic comment, his eyes clouded with confusion. "Sir? I don't understand…?"

"Vilandra. She loves Rath, I can feel the connection," Khivar elaborated hoarsely.

"She is married to someone else," Nicolas reminded his king. "A human, I believe."

"I know, and she may love him as well, I can't tell. But…" Khivar drew a breath and closed his eyes. "I can feel the connection between the two. It grows stronger, as does the connection between Ava and Zan."

"How is that possible? The Queen is no longer on the planet," Nicolas pointed out. "Their connection…"

"They do not have to be close to each other for the link to be strong. It is etched into their essences, and they can't escape it, no matter the distance that separates them," Khivar replied. He paused in his pacing and looked over at Nicolas. "But if the connections between them are growing, it means their power is as well. The Royal Four…they are getting stronger."

"How?" Nicolas questioned. "They don't even trust each other."

"The other three trust the Queen," Khivar countered. "I was able to plant some doubt in their minds, but not enough to change what they now know is true. That she would never had betrayed them." He resumed pacing. "It was their betrayal of her that broke the link, but it was her anger towards them that kept the link from being rebuilt."

"So what does this mean?" Nicolas asked curiously. It was obviously worrisome enough that it had put Khivar on edge, which was quite the feat considering the success of his plan and the fact that he had discovered Shalimar's location.

"It means…" Khivar drew another deep breath. "It means that the Queen she has forgiven them. The Four Square has been restored."

* * *

Next Chapter: The Lightning Strikes 

Due: Tuesday 2/28


	9. The Lightning Strikes

Title: Mythology

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

Author's note: Okay, I know this chapter is shorter than usual (and has no Tess), so I am going to update rather soon. However, I will warn you all now that the next few chapters are going to focus more on Earth than Antar. I will, of course, include something about Antar in each chapter since their still is a war happening there, but for now, I am focusing a bit more on working out the details of the Evans' investigation and its consequences.

* * *

this is the stuff of legends…

Chapter Nine: The Lightning Strikes

_Day 9_

Isabel pushed open the door to her house and paused as she saw Jesse sitting on the sofa, staring at her. She bit her lip and gave him a short nod, then walked past him into her bedroom. She heard the footsteps behind her and knew that Jesse was standing in the doorway, waiting for her to say something. But she remained silent, letting him know that he would have to be the one to start the conversation.

"Where were you? You've been gone for a while."

"I was upset," Isabel replied softly. "I went for a walk."

"Can we talk?" Jesse asked hesitantly, taking a seat on the bed.

Isabel looked at him for a moment, her expression unreadable. Then she nodded slowly. "Sure, we can talk," she said. She took a seat next to him and folded her arms over her chest, waiting for him to speak.

"I'm sorry I looked in the filing cabinet," Jesse said softly. "I'm really…sorry."

Isabel gave a slight laugh. "Yeah, that makes it all better," she said sarcastically, rolling her eyes. She licked her dry lips and continued, "Jesse, you really hurt me with that. I thought…it was like you didn't trust me."

"I do trust you," Jesse said hurriedly, trying to reassure her. "I trust you and I love you. You have to believe me."

"Then why?" Isabel murmured, tears in her eyes. She loved Jesse as well, and she hated that she was playing him like this, but she had to. She had to, or she, Max, and Michael would be in serious danger, and that terrified her.

"I just…Isabel, sometimes it feels like you are so distant from me. Like there is something that you're keeping secret, something you share with Michael and Max, but not me. It scares me. I don't want to lose you."

Isabel nodded, hearing the jealousy in her husband's voice. The jealousy and the fear. She closed her eyes and sighed, suddenly wondering if she had ever been Jesse's to start with. "Jesse… Michael, Max, and I shared so much. Everything with Alex, everything with Tess…"

"Who's Tess?" Jesse asked, jumping at the opportunity to ask about the girl.

Isabel swallowed and looked away. "She and Max were…they dated last year. She was one of our best friends, and she and Max…uh…well, she got pregnant."

"What?" Jesse was astounded by the news, never expecting Max to be the teenager-father type.

Isabel nodded. "Anyway, Tess' father moved around a lot, because he worked for the army. Tess was here for a while, but then she had to move back to New York…" She wiped the tears out of her eyes and looked down at her hands.

"Izzy? What is it? What happened?" Jesse whispered, placing a hand on his wife's shoulder.

She turned and looked at him, her eyes wet and red. "We didn't know she was pregnant at the time. We would have asked her to stay if we did, but… Right before she left, she and Max got into a huge fight, and he told her he never wanted to speak to her again. Then, several weeks later, her father called to tell us that she was…was…"

"Izzy?" Jesse prompted, pulling her into a hug.

"She had an abusive ex-boyfriend in New York that we didn't know about. He had found out that she was pregnant and…" She broke down into sobs and Jesse pulled her tighter. She didn't need to finish the story, he had filled in the blanks for himself.

"Oh. God, I didn't know," Jesse murmured.

"It was just such a hard time. First with Alex, and then the news about Tess…"

Jesse accepted this in silence, thinking. Mr. Evans had told him that Valenti had said Tess moved back to the East Coast with her father. "Izzy? Did you tell anyone else? I mean, besides Max and Michael?"

Isabel shook her head. "No, no one else knew. Not even Kyle of Jim," she murmured, thankful that they had thought to talk to Valenti before trying to pull this entire story off. "They think she's still on the East Coast with her father."

Jesse nodded. All the ends tied up, and he was in love with his wife. He would tell Mr. Evans tomorrow that he was no longer interested in the investigation.

* * *

Max watched as Michael hunted through the refrigerator for a Snapple. He was sitting on a chair by the window, leaning against the cool glass and thinking about everything that had happened. Everything Isabel had told them. 

"She forgave us," Max said at last, his voice thick with guilt.

Michael looked over at him sharply and nodded. "Yes," he agreed. "I never thought she would."

Max gave a dark chuckle. "I wish I could be there, fighting with her."

"We are going to be fighting with her," Michael pointed out. "Maybe not at her side, but we are going to be giving her our strength. The four of us will save Antar, save Earth." He opened the Snapple and took a sip, then walked over to Max.

"Yeah," Max nodded slowly, "but I wish I could be there, next to her."

"Are you starting to accept your destiny?" Michael asked in surprise. He had always assumed that Liz and Max would make it, no matter what.

"Not in the way you are thinking," Max answered softly. "I love Liz, and I always will. But I am accepting that I am the King, and it should have been me leading this battle." He slanted a look at Michael. "What about you?" he asked.

Michael frowned and looked away. "I don't know," he said at last.

Max raised his eyebrows at that, not expecting that particular response. "I thought you loved Maria," he questioned.

"I did," Michael said simply. Past tense.

"Do you still love her?" Max pressed.

"I don't know," Michael replied slowly, rubbing his eyes. "I think so, but I just… I don't know."

"And Isabel? Do you love her?"

"I don't know. Maybe," Michael said softly.

"So…what are you going to do?" Max wanted to know. "Isabel is married, and you are with Maria. If you don't know how you feel… What are you going to do?" His protective instincts flared suddenly, this was his _sister_ they were talking about and if Michael hurt her…

Michael gave Max an unreadable look and sighed. "I wish I knew," he admitted quietly, gruffly.

* * *

Naj wiped the sweat out of his eyes with one hand and peered around through the bright sun. He and his scouting party had reached the foothills of Mt. Sinai in the early hours of the morning, only to discover it was already controlled by a contingent of the royal army. How Khivar had managed to take the mountain before the Resistance, Naj had no idea, although he could only assume that someone had informed the skin king of the Resistance's plans. 

A spy.

He sighed and turned around. He needed to get back to Arya, to inform her of what happened. He was one of the few who knew that it was Arya who was leading the army, one of the few who understood how precarious their position was. Any little bit of information they had that Khivar did not could mean the difference between life and death.

He trudged slowly down the hill, back to his waiting soldiers. They were camped in the shade of a small hill. He greeted them all with a grim nod and gestured for them to prepare to move out.

He needed a plan. Arya would want his suggestions about what their next course of action should be. But what was it? They couldn't seek safety here anymore, and if they stayed and fought, they would die. What were they supposed to do? How were they supposed to win this?

There only choice was to camp on the other side of the mountain. They would be in between the curve of the Fel Mountain range and Mt. Sinai, which meant that, with the mountains at their back, Khivar could not attack from both sides. It would be a head-on fight, and that at least they had a chance at surviving.

Well, they had a chance at surviving it if the rumors were true, if the Queen really was coming. But if she was, she needed to get her quickly, before they were crushed. And if she wasn't coming…

Only a miracle could save them then.

* * *

Khivar stood by the farms. Night was falling, the moon cast tiny slivers of light over the peaceful homes. The fields of crops waved back an forth in the light wind like a sea of plants. 

He had decided to come alone, leaving the battle in Nicolas' hands. This was a moment of triumph for him, and he wanted to savor every moment of it.

It was dark, too dark for him to approach Shalimar now. She could escape in the dark. It was unlikely she would, but he did not want to take any risks. Besides, he wanted to wait until daylight so he could see her face, see the look of horror when she realized that they had lost and he had won.

Tomorrow, he decided with finality.

Tomorrow, when the sun began in ascent, he would strike. And Shalimar, powerful though she may be, would be no match for him, or his gifts. He could take the information from her easily, and with it he could crush the one and only hope of the Resistance.

The Queen was as good as dead.

* * *

Next Chapter: The Hammer Falls 

Due: Friday 3/3


	10. The Hammer Falls

Title: Mythology

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

Author's note: Sorry about the lack of reply to your reviews, my week was suddenly too busy to reply. I will be able to reply on the next chapter, though.  
So I tried to make Mr. Evans a little bit more torn about the investigation. On the show, he went through the entire thing without really having regrets or wondering whether or not he was doing the right thing. And I thought that was a bit unrealistic, because who investigates their children like that without at least the tiniest bit of doubt about whether or not they were doing the right thing?

* * *

this is the stuff of legends…

Chapter Ten: The Hammer Falls

"I'm not going to investigate anymore," Jesse said without preamble as he entered the office of his father-in-law.

Mr. Evans looked up in surprise and disappointment. His eyes narrowed in suspicion and he asked slowly, "Why? What changed your mind?"

"I spoke with Isabel last night," Jesse replied, taking a seat across from Mr. Evans. "She told me all about Tess and Alex and everything that happened. She and Max went through a horrible time with that, and I don't want to cause her anymore pain by bringing it up." He spoke with the authority and determination of someone who was not going to change his mind.

"What happened to Tess Harding?" Mr. Evans asked curiously, leaning forward and placing his elbows on the desk.

Jesse frowned, suddenly unsure of what to say. He would have told Mr. Evans everything in a heartbeat, except that so much of what happened revolved around Tess being pregnant, and Max being the father. And that particular secret was not his to tell.

Finally, he said, "Ask Max. It is something he can tell you, but I assure you, it isn't what either of us thought." He stood up and shrugged. "I'm off the investigation," he repeated, then strode from the room.

Mr. Evans watched him go thoughtfully. He wanted to believe that his children weren't mixed up in anything dangerous and illegal, but some part of him kept telling him that Max and Isabel had been lying to him for years, and maybe now it was time to figure out what it was about.

He reached for the phone. Dialing a number, he listened to the rings at the other end, and then a voice answered.

"Sheriff Hanson's office."

"Sheriff? It's Phillip Evans," Mr. Evans said quickly. "I need a favor."

"Certainly, Mr. Evans. What can I do for you?" came Sheriff Hanson's crisp reply.

"Do you remember Tess Harding? She was here for about a year, left three months ago. Stayed with Jim and Kyle Valenti," Mr. Evans questioned.

"Sure, the blonde kid. Cute girl, quite pretty. What about her?" Hanson asked.

"Can you look into her past for me?" Mr. Evans asked slowly. "I need to know…I need to know everything you can find about her."

"Why?" Hanson questioned, his voice filled with confusion and disapproval. It was slightly illegal for him to investigate into someone's past, although he could certainly do it as long as there was a good reason.

"I think she and my kids may have been mixed up in something," Mr. Evans said heavily, not liking what he was thinking.

There was a pause while Hanson thought over the request. He, like everyone else in the sleepy little town, had heard the story about how Max Evans and Liz Parker had been accused of armed robbery. He knew little about Max, but everyone had thought that Liz was on a track right to Harvard, and they had been startled beyond belief at the news.

If Tess Harding was somehow mixed up in everything that had happened…

"Sure, I'll see what I can find about her," Hanson replied easily.

"And one more thing," Mr. Evans continued quickly. "Don't tell my kids, or my son-in-law…or my wife…what I'm doing. I don't want to bring this to their attention unless there is something there. And it could all be a wild goose chase."

"No problem," Hanson replied. "I'll let you know what I find."

"Thank you," Mr. Evans said, then hung up the phone.

His stomach twisted into knots as he thought about what he had just done. He loved his children just as much, if not more, than Jesse loved Isabel. And he hated thinking this about them, hated harboring suspicions. He wanted to walk away from all this, to give Max and Isabel the benefit of the doubt. But could he, like Jesse, ignore everything? Could he live not knowing the answer to all these questions?

These were his children, and if they were causing trouble, or if they were in trouble, he _had_ to know.

They were his responsibility.

* * *

They met in an abandoned warehouse on the side on an old highway no one ever used anymore. They came in separate cars, unmarked cars that slipped in and out of the streets without ever drawing more than a brief glance from the passing pedestrians. They spoke in euphemisms and short sentences, and they gave only the information that was absolutely necessary to the conversation.

They were well trained, and they knew the game well.

"Agent Simmons."

"Good evening, Agent Blair, sir."

"I trust you know why you were called, Agent Simmons?"

"Yes, sir, I do."

Agent Blair drew a photograph from his briefcase and handed it to the subordinate agent. It was a hazy picture, taken from an ATM security camera and blown up to identify the man and woman in the picture.

But Agent Simmons did not need to see the picture to know who it showed. The armed robbery had been of interest to the few remaining agents of the Special Unit, if only because it had involved one of the subjects still under suspicion.

The FBI had not let its presence in Roswell be known, but they were still there. They watched from afar, observing everything that happened, every little move that people made. They waited and observed and analyzed, and ever since the shooting, they had watched a handful of people in particular.

And there had been the suspicious event a few months ago when something had left the Earth. No one was entirely sure of what it was, but it had left and where it had once been, the rocks had crumbled to the desert floor.

The shooting, the departure, the armed robbery. It all added up to something, to a pattern, if only they could find it. But whoever was behind this, they were good at covering their tracks, that much the Special Unit agreed on. These few who were under suspicion left few clues to what they were and where they came from, and the clues added up to nothing but more questions.

"We have waited for an answer to who and what these people are, but no answer has appeared," Agent Blair said. "We are getting worried. If we cannot discover their plan before they attack…"

"What do you want me to do, sir?" Agent Simmons asked. He knew the answer, but he still needed to have it said more clearly. He was no fool, he wanted to cover himself in case this ever got back to the main branch or was somehow made public. He needed to say he was following orders.

"Watch them. If you can't figure out what their plan is within the next few weeks…take care of the threat as you see fit." Agent Blair gave a sharp nod and left the room. He disappeared into the night, washing his hands of the entire business. It would be handled by someone else now, someone who would do the dirty work and get the job done.

Agent Simmons stared at the picture in his hand, tracing the two figures with a finger. Something inside him protested at the thought of 'taking care of the threat,' but he pushed the feeling aside. They were a threat to the safety of the country and the world, and he would not let them harm others.

Whoever they were, wherever they were from, they needed to be eliminated.

* * *

_He took Mt. Sinai?_

_Yes, my Lady. _

_All his troops are there? Waiting for us?_

_Yes._

_We have to attack, Arya._

_It is suicide. There are too many, and they are too well protected by the labyrinth of foothills. _

_We will not be able to retreat any further. We will have to attack at some point, and our best bet is to attack now, before he has a chance of becoming entrenched in his position._

_How long until you are here?_

_I'm not sure, Arya. Three days, maybe four. No more than that. If you attack now, will you be able to hold out until I get there?_

_Do we have a choice?_

Tess broke the link with Arya and leaned back against the rocks that surrounded her, thinking over what she had just learned. Khivar had taken hold of Mt. Sinai, and his soldiers were ready to engage in an all out battle with the Resistance. Somehow, he had heard of her plan, and he had managed to outmaneuver his opponent and take the upper hand.

Again.

She was closer to the Fel Mountains now, that was something at least. The desert had become rocky, instead of just stretches of sand that seemed to run on for eternity. She felt a little more safe here, now that she was able to hide in the shadows of the small hills.

But the news that Khivar was one step ahead of her was more than a little troubling. Why did everything seem to work out for him? Was it fate? Was it destiny? Was some ultimate power on his side, guiding his every move and leading him to victory?

She paused briefly to wonder whether or not she believed in God. She certainly didn't believe in karma, because what could she have ever done in a past life to deserve what she was living now? But God… perhaps. Perhaps she believed in a high power.

Which lead to thoughts about life after death and reincarnation and all the other things she didn't particularly want to think about.

But when she tried to not to think about that, her mind wandered back to Khivar and to the war and to the fact that she was rapidly loosing.

There was something in the air, in the wind and earth. Some sense that everything was about to change. She could feel it, and it scared her.

She peered off into the distance and wondered vaguely where Khai was. She hoped he was close, she needed the Granolith, and she needed it soon.

She sighed and stared back down at her sleeping son. High overhead, the broiling sun beat down, harsh and unrelenting, and she knew that, beyond the distant mountains, the beginning of the final battle was about to take place.

* * *

Shalimar knew without looking up from where she was sitting who it was who was standing in the door. She could feel the power radiating from him, could feel the heavy despair that lingered in the air the moment he stepped into the room. And she could feel the panic that rose within her, fierce and uncontrollable.

Her mental barriers flew up around her thoughts, but even as she forced herself to protect her mind, she knew it wasn't enough. It would never be enough, not against him. Too much power, she didn't stand a chance. He would gain access to her thoughts and her secrets, and he would know everything that she had done and seen and said. He would know _everything_.

The Queen…

It was over in a heartbeat, and Khivar turned away, a pleased expression on his face as Shalimar's lifeless body fell to the floor.

Far on the other side of the world, Arya awoke in her bed, her heart beating with erratic terror. She clutched her head as the foggy wisps of the dream faded away and she was brought back to reality.

And she realized, in startling horror, what had just happened, what she had just witnessed, and what the consequences of it would be.

Khivar _knew_.

* * *

Author's note: So the Resistance has begun it's final battle against Khivar. I am not going to detail much of the battle in the next chapters, just a few glimpses here and there, because I don't really like writing about gratuitous violence. So you can imagine the battle on your own.

Next Chapter: The Red Sun Rises

Due: Wed 3/8


	11. The Red Sun Rises

Title: Mythology

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

Author's note: The song is 'Red Sun Rises' by Penny for Your Thoughts. At some point I stopped saying this, so I thought I should add it in as a reminder, _italics_ are telepathic conversations or dream-walks.

* * *

Okay, just a reminder of who the major players still alive are: 

Tess of course

Alex-Tess's son, named after Alex Whitman

Nicolas and Khivar-same people they were on the show

Arya-the regional ruler from the province of Tel'ai, which is the capital province on Antar. She was recently deposed by Khivar and is now the leader of the Resistance

Khai-main general, used to be the leader of the Resistance, now the Protector of the Granolith, Rath's younger brother

Ceyla-A General of the Resistance under Arya

Naj-a spy for the Resistance

Places of importance:

Tel'ai-capital province of Antar, has Dimaras Rock, where Zan met Ava. The Triaji Desert, the Cortai Jungle, the Landra River, and the Fel Mountains are all located in this province as well.

Antar-the capital city of Antar has the same name as the planet.

Mt. Sinai-a mountain in Tel'ai, it's name means (in Antarian) 'mountain of fate'

* * *

this is the stuff of legends...

Chapter 11: The Red Sun Rises

_Day 11_

_**A red sun rises, blood has been spilt this night **_

The red sun rose, casting rays of light over the battle field. It had been a brutal fight, the Resistance had attacked with all the strength they could muster. But Khivar's army had fought back, and they were stronger, greater, more powerful. The ground ran red with blood, the air was thick with smoke.

Khivar smiled grimly to himself. He had traveled the entire night, and reached Mt. Sinai just as the sun was rising. His trip had been a success, he now knew where the Queen was and how to stop her. He also received the good news that the Resistance had been badly beaten during the previous day's battle.

It had been a bold move on their part to attack, and his surprised him. But then, he assumed that was the reasoning behind their move. Attack before the enemy has a chance to prepare. And it might have worked too, had they not been so completely outnumbered. Didn't they realize by now that there was nothing they could do to stop him? He was the king of an entire planet with all the resources he needed in his control, and they were just a group of rebels clinging to a dynasty that had already faded away.

And soon the last threat to his rule would disappear as well.

He turned and glanced at the Fel Mountains. Beyond them, the great expanse of desert extended out for thousands of miles. And somewhere in the desert was the Queen.

It would not be too difficult to find her, but he didn't want to kill her right away. There was no reason to go to here, instead let her come to him. She would arrive at the Fel worn out and unable to fight, and he would be able to dispose of her and her son in a matter of moments.

And then he would crush the Resistance once and for all.

He glanced behind him. He could see the Resistance camp. It was the first time they had ever camped so out in the open, but there was nowhere for them to hide, now that the Royal army had control of Mt. Sinai. The great mountain stood by itself in the center of a massive plateau. It's foothills created a maze of interlocking stone passageways where the royal soldiers could hide and recuperate from the battle, but other than these hills, there was nowhere to hide for miles around.

He would strike the Resistance now, but his own soldiers had not escaped the battle unscathed, and he wanted to give them a short reprieve. They would follow him more readily if he accepted their limitations and did not push them past their limits, and he needed them at their very best. Although he had no doubt he could defeat the Resistance, he also knew it would be a brutal battle, and he did not want to take any chances.

Today they would rest, tomorrow he would kill the Queen, and the day after that he would crush the Resistance.

**_Indeed its a shame  
were on the final stretch now  
and still nothing works out  
the tribesmen are falling  
the seas just stopped roaring away  
_**

_He knows!_

Tess was pulled unceremoniously out of her sleep by Arya's frantic cries. She blinked once or twice in the earlier morning air and tried to clear the fog from her mind. Arya's panicked presence danced around the edges of her conscious, urging her awake.

_Who knows what, Arya?_

_Khivar knows where you are._

Tess sucked in a sharp breath and jumped to her feet, almost expecting to see the entire royal army prepared to attack her. The desert was empty, but she could not shake the fear that resided in her.

_How? What does he know?_

_Shalimar, my Lady. He killed her, and gathered all the information she had. He knows where you are and where you are going._

Tears pricked Tess' eyes as she thought of Shalimar's death. She reached down and lifted Alex, pulling him tightly to her chest. She leaned back against the sandy dune and closed her eyes, taking a few calming breathes.

_Then I had better change my plans._

_What? How?_

Tess frowned and stared off into the distance. She was close to the mountains now, only two or three days away. Originally she had planned to reach the edge of the desert near where the Resistance base of Xree was located. Arya was going to have someone meet her there and guide her to the battle. But if she changed her path, she might be able to reach the mountains at a different point and then circle around and approach Mt. Sinai from the other side. It would put the royal army in between her and the Resistance, and she would not have a guide. That would certainly be a risk, but at least Khivar would not be able to find her right away.

She was surrounded by rocky hills now, and small cacti-like plants, so she could hide a bit better than if she was in the complete open. It might just work.

Arya, however, was not as thrilled with the plan.

_But it puts you at too much risk, my Lady. You don't know the Fel Mountains, how would you know where it is safe to cross? How would you get to Mt. Sinai?_

_Khai will guide me._

_You've spoken to Khai? _Arya's voice was filled with surprise and hope._ Is he here? Is he close?_

_Yes. He is very close. _Tess frowned, suddenly realizing a flaw in her plan._ But I don't know how to reach him, and he was planning to meet me where I was going to originally end up. He won't know of my new plan._

_I can reach him. He is good at blocking people from his mind, but if he senses that it is me, he will let me through. I'll have him get in touch with you._

Tess nodded slowly and sighed._ Why is he winning, Arya? Why does everything work out for Khivar?_

There was a silence, and Tess could tell that Arya did not know how to answer. She didn't know what to say, because she herself didn't know the answer to her queen's question. Was it just luck, or something more?

_I don't know, my Lady. But perhaps the tide is turning now._

_Perhaps._

**_  
there's no one to blame  
smashed to bits in your mind  
there's no time to find  
antidotes for your spell  
you know full well  
that its over  
_**

"I hate school," Maria muttered as she slammed her locker shut and followed Liz to class. It was a bright day, the sun shown in through the windows with an intensity that reminded everyone of how much they would rather be outside.

Liz gave Maria a sympathetic smile but didn't answer. She stepped into the room and walked over to her desk, dropping her books onto it and taking a seat. Maria followed suit, and a few minutes later, Michael and Max entered the room as well. They took seats on either side of the girls, and the four of them fell into an uneasy silence.

"So I heard that Isabel talked to Jesse?" Maria asked at last, her voice barely above a whisper as she glanced between her boyfriend and his best friend.

Max nodded and traded looks with Michael. "He dropped the investigation," he murmured back, "but we still don't know about my Dad."

"I'm sure he will too," Liz said gently, placing her hand on Max's arm. He gave her a slight smile, not quite as convinced as she was. He knew his father, and he knew that Phillip Evans was nothing if not a protective father. And if he thought that anything was going on…

In a way, it was ironic. Max _knew_ his father was doing this because he loved his children, not in spite of it. And yet, this investigation could very well be what puts them in the most danger.

"Are we going to the Crashdown after school?" Maria asked, glancing over at Michael.

"Sure," Michael replied, giving her a nod. His thoughts and emotions were jumbled and confused and some of it must have been reflected in his eyes, because Maria gave him a puzzled look and a slight frown. He shrugged and she looked away.

"Class, we have a guest speaker today," the teacher announced cheerfully as she entered the room. She flashed everyone a brief smile and gestured to the nondescript man who had followed her into the room. "This is Mr. Simmons."

The man let his eyes wonder around the room, taking in each of the students. They lingered for a beat on Max's face, then moved on quickly, but Max was left with a distinctly uneasy impression.

_**  
and now, it is time to set free  
and now, it is time to set free  
**_

Kyle leaned back in the booth and watched in silence as Maria and Michael exchanged brief words at the counter. Next to him, Isabel fidgeted with her wedding ring, twisting the band around her finger. Max leaned against the table, refusing to sit down, while Liz hovered in the background.

They had all decided to get together to talk, even though they had little to talk about. They had reached a point in all of their plans were they could do nothing but wait, wait and pray.

The tension in the group was palpable in the air. The tiny rifts that had always been there were spreading now, turning from fault lines to canyons. They were drifting slowly apart, and no one seemed to know how to stop it.

**_  
rise up from your bed child  
its time that we both smiled  
we're free  
rise up from your bed child  
use the potions you compiled  
start the spree  
_**

"_You're changing your plan, Ava?"_

"_I don't have a choice, Khai."_

_They were in an expanse of emptiness, not unlike the one that Tess and Isabel met in. The air was warmer, not the same cold stillness, and the place didn't seem quite as empty. Tess couldn't remember what exactly she had been dreaming about before Khai pulled her into his dream, but she thought it might have had to do with Earth._

_Most of her dreams were about Earth._

"_So you plan to change your course? Tell me where you are going and I can meet you there," Khai suggested. He did not like the idea of the Queen venturing recklessly through the province of Tel'ai, but what choice did they have? If Khivar knew where she was, he would most certainly attack her the moment he had the chance, and after three months crossing a barren wasteland, the Queen was in no position to fight._

_Tess nodded slowly. "And you would be able to lead me to Mt. Sinai? The Resistance is currently fighting the battle there."_

"_Yes," Khai replied. He frowned slightly, "Although it takes you around in a loop. It was be so much simpler and efficient if you could just continue on the same path." He shook his head in frustration, knowing that the easier path was no longer an option._

_Tess didn't have to explain her choice, they both knew why she had to change paths, but she said it anyway. "Khivar knows where I am."_

"_I heard about Shalimar," Khai murmured. "Arya gave me the details."_

"_Details?" Tess looked up in surprise. "What where the details?"_

_Khai raised an eyebrow. "About Shalimar's body being burned…Arya did not tell you that?"_

_Tess thought about it for a moment, then shook her head. "I think she was too preoccupied with warning me," she said at last. "It probably slipped her mind." Burned… the worst that could be done to a corpse. Now Shalimar would not even get a proper burial._

"_All that was left was the silver ring she wore around her middle finger," Khai said dully. "Arya sent two Resistance members to Shalimar's house after she had the vision. They found the ring amid a pile of ashes." He ran a hand through his hair, trying his level best to keep his furious anger from erupting._

"_Oh," Tess answered quietly. She looked at Khai for a moment, then closed her eyes and sighed. She said nothing, knowing there was nothing _to_ say._

**_  
these are the tales of triumph  
whole armies left slain  
all effort in vain  
the grasslands are free  
from nothing grows trees  
liberation_**

* * *

Next Chapter: In the Triaji Desert 

Due: Mon. 3/13


	12. In the Triaji Desert

Title: Mythology

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

Author's note: Thanks to all who reviewed. Tess and Khai finally meet up in this part, but I don't give much detail to what happened before their meeting. They just start talking, and you can fill in the blanks of who saw who first and how they reacted and all that. Sorry, not much action in this chapter, just a lot of conversations and preparations. There will be more action in the next chapter, and we will get another look at how the Resistance is doing.

I hint at something very important in this chapter, a foreshadowing of sorts. So if anything seems vague and not explained, chances are, it will be elaborated on in later chapters.

* * *

this is the stuff of legends…

Chapter Twelve: In The Triaji Desert

_Day 12_

"Hey, Izzie."

Isabel turned in surprise to see her father standing in the doorway of her house. She blinked once and then gave a quick, forced smile. "Hey, Dad." She hurried over to him and gave him a hug. "I thought you'd be at work now?"

"Oh, I'm on my lunch break," he replied with a smile. "I was going to meet your mother for a quick old-married-couple-lunch, and Jesse asked me to pick up some of his case files for him."

"Oh," Isabel flashed him a smile, her heart beating wildly. Did he know? Had the plan not worked, had he discovered something?

"Actually, I wanted to talk to you about something else," Mr. Evans continued slowly. He walked over to Isabel and placed a hand on her shoulder. "I know things have been a little rocky between us since you and Jesse got married, but you are still my daughter, and if there is anything you need to talk to me about, I am here for you. You know that, right?"

"Of course," Isabel replied quickly, a little too quickly. She turned away and walked over to her sofa, sinking into the cushions. "Is that what you came here to tell me?"

Mr. Evans sighed. This was harder than he thought it would be. Isabel didn't seem to want to help him with the conversation, and he didn't know how to bring up Tess without alerting his daughter to his suspicions.

"Actually…Jesse talked to me yesterday. He mentioned something about Tess…" Mr. Evans held his breath, hoping Isabel would take the bait.

"What did he say?" Isabel asked, her tone guarded.

"Just that something had happened," Mr. Evans answered gently. "Something that upset you both, and I just… I was worried. I wanted you to know that you could talk to me."

"I know, Dad. We know," Isabel assured him. "It's just… we didn't know how to talk about this."

"Tell me about it…?"

Isabel closed her eyes, tears spilling over at the corners, and took a deep breath, preparing for the performance of her life. "Well, it all started with this guy that Tess was dating before she moved here…"

* * *

"You're here."

"Yes."

"Good."

Tess would have laughed at how monosyllabic their greeting was, but she was too busy trying to wrap her head around the fact that she wasn't alone anymore. She and Alex had a protector now, someone to help them fight this battle.

Khai, for his part, was marveling at the change that he saw in his Queen. It was mostly in the eyes, they seemed older now, older and wiser as though she had lived through years of battles and grief.

And in a way, she had. They all had, these past several months had been filled with more bloodshed and loss than anyone should ever have to deal with.

They were standing in the desert, less than a days walk from the mountains. The sun was high overhead, drenching them with golden light. They were both covered in sweat, but Tess' smile lit up her face and Khai's grimace seemed at least a little less severe.

They were happy to see each other.

Khai reached underneath his robe and extracted an object wrapped in cloth. The cloth was dirty, ragged, and torn around the edges. It had seen months of travel, and the threads hung out at the edges.

But Tess could feel the power radiating from within the bundle of cloth. She held her breath and reached out, her fingers lightly skimming over the cloth. She swallowed and shook her head in wonder, her other arm pulling Alex closer to her as she felt the power crackle under her skin.

"This is…"

"The Granolith," Khai said with reverence. "It is, Ava."

And Tess noted with detached interest that he said Ava with the same reverence that he spoke of the Granolith. It unnerved her suddenly, to hear it in his voice. She always knew that the people were expecting her be their savoir, but the way Khai said her name, it just made it so much more real. She was their Queen, and she was responsible for them.

And she was scared.

And then something completely unexpected happened. Tess felt something brush against her mind, a faint presence, strange and familiar at the same time. And then a word echoed in her head, one she had longed to hear for so long, one that filled her with hope.

_Mama_.

She gasped, and looked down at Alex, while Khai stared at her in concern and surprise.

"I think he just spoke to me."

Khai frowned slightly and said, "I suppose it is possible that Alex would have the ability to create mind links. He could have inherited those powers from you, they are linked to the ability to mind-warp. Of course, it is a bit early for his powers to be showing up, but he does come from powerful parents…"

But Tess was not listening. She had forgotten where she was, or who she was with, or the battles that she would have to fight in just a number of days. She was only aware of the single word reverberating through her mind as she stared down at her son's beautiful sapphire eyes.

"Hey, baby," Tess whispered. "Mama's here."

"He will be a great leader one day," Khai said softly. He stared at the bundle in Tess' arms. It was ironic, they were both holding precious bundles. He was holding the symbol of the throne of Antar, and she was holding the Heir to the throne of Antar.

Both of which Khivar wanted.

They were running out of time.

The Resistance was running out of time.

"We need to move," Khai said abruptly, and Tess nodded her agreement.

They walked in silence for a moment, then Tess said, "Alex is only a few months old. Why is Khivar so afraid of him? He can't do any damage."

"It isn't what he can do now that scares Khivar, as what he could do later," Khai replied. He paused, then continued, "And it is also what he represents. The true Heir."

Tess looked down at her son. "He's only a few months old, Khai. Everyone expects him to be a leader, to be their savoir, but he is just a child. He can't rule the country, and I don't want him to be bartered and traded about in a struggle for power."

"He doesn't need to lead, Ava," Khai pointed out. "You can lead for him, until he is old enough to assume the throne."

Tess nodded slowly and looked away. There was something in her eyes that made Khai pause, a look he could not quite place. He felt something twist deep within his stomach, an unknown fear bubbling to the surface. Unsure, he too looked away, and the travelers moved on in silence.

* * *

"Philip, what are you doing?" Mrs. Evans asked as she walked into the living room. Mr. Evans quickly turned around, hiding the notebook behind his back and giving his wife an innocent smile. Wanting to keep her out of everything that was going on, he had not informed her of any of his suspicions. It would break her heart to know what he thought their children might be doing.

"Nothing, Diane," Mr. Evans replied casually. The notebook was full of scribbled notes and half-thought-through ideas.

Mrs. Evans raised an eyebrow. "Really? You've been doing 'nothing' for a while now. I'm not blind, you know. Tell me what's going on."

Mr. Evans hesitated, weighing his options. He could tell her the truth and risk crushing her, or he could lie and hope she didn't find out. Neither option was ideal, but they were the only two choices that he had.

However, he didn't have to make the decision, because Mrs. Evans continued talking.

"Is this about Isabel and Max?" she asked shrewdly, narrowing her eyes.

Mr. Evans raised both his eyebrows in surprise. "Wh-what?" he stammered, unsure how she had known. And what else she knew…

"I know something has been going on with them. Ever since Max and Liz were accused of robbing that store, and then Max moved into Michael's apartment, things have been strained between the four of us. And lately its only gotten worse. Tell me what you are doing." The last was an order, not a request, and Mr. Evans found himself complying.

He told the entire story starting from what Jesse overheard about Tess, going through his conversation with Jim Valenti, and finally ending with Jesse's refusal to continue the investigation and the truth about Tess' death.

Mrs. Evans was silent for several minutes, absorbing everything she had heard. Then she sat down on the sofa next to Mr. Evans and took a deep breath. "Well, there doesn't seem to be any reason to investigate. We know what happened to Tess." Her words were flat, emotionless, and Mr. Evans knew that she didn't believe the story any more than he did.

"Really?" he shook his head skeptically.

"It makes sense," Mrs. Evans protested, more to convince herself than her husband. "About Tess' death, I mean. If she died over the summer, it makes sense that Max would have been acting so strangely this year…"

"It isn't just this year," Mr. Evans replied pointedly. "We've known since we adopted them that there was something different about our children."

"So why start the investigation now?" Mrs. Evans demanded. "If everything has been okay for the last ten years, why start now?"

"Because this was the first time that my son may have committed a felony," Mr. Evans pointed out reasonably. Mrs. Evans wavered and looked away, her eyes filled with doubt, and Mr. Evans continued, "I want to believe that nothing is going on, that I am imagining all of this. But these are my children, _our_ children, and if they are in any kind of trouble, I have to know. I have to be able to protect them."

"By investigating them? By betraying their trust?" Mrs. Evans countered.

"If they won't tell us the truth…"

"They will," Mrs. Evans said firmly. "They'll tell us the truth when they are ready." She pushed a strand of hair out of her eyes and looked away, chewing her lower lip thoughtfully. "They will," she repeated, her voice barely above a whisper.

"But will they tell us in time?" Mr. Evans questioned.

"What secret do you think they are hiding?" Mrs. Evans asked, changing the subject.

Mr. Evans shook his head. "I don't know," he replied honestly. "But I think it started around the time of the shooting at the Crashdown two years ago. When Max first started hanging out with Liz Parker."

"Who else knows you are investigation them?" Mrs. Evans murmured.

"Sheriff Hanson," Mr. Evans replied. "And Jesse." There was a silence, then Mr. Evans replied, "Look, Diane, I don't like this any better than you do, but I honestly don't know what else to do. I can't just sit her and do nothing if they are in danger."

"I know," Mrs. Evans agreed. "But have you found anything in your investigation?"

"No…"

"Then what makes you think this is the right way to go about it?" Mrs. Evans asked.

"What would you have me do?" Mr. Evans asked. "Sit around and pretend I just don't see?" He shook his head and stood up, pacing quickly back and forth across the floor. "I can't do that."

"Trust them," Mrs. Evans replied, getting to her feet as well. She crossed to her husband and took his hand. "Trust our children, they will come to us when they are ready."

Mr. Evans sighed and looked away. "Do you really think that is the right choice?"

And Mrs. Evans was honest enough to reply, "I don't know…"

* * *

Next Chapter: By the Banks of the Landra River 

Due: Fri. 3/17


	13. By the Banks of the Landra River

Title: Mythology

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

Author's note: I am so sorry about the delay in this update, I really meant to get it out sooner, but then I didn't have a chance to finish editing it.

* * *

Okay, just a reminder of who the major players still alive are:

Tess, of course

Alex-Tess's son, named after Alex Whitman

Nicolas and Khivar-same people they were on the show

Arya-the regional ruler from the province of Tel'ai, which is the capital province on Antar. She was recently deposed by Khivar and is now the leader of the Resistance

Khai-main general, used to be the leader of the Resistance, now the Protector of the Granolith, Rath's younger brother

Ceyla-A General of the Resistance under Arya

Naj-a spy for the Resistance

Places of importance:

Tel'ai-capital province of Antar, has Dimaras Rock, where Zan met Ava. The Triaji Desert, the Cortai Jungle, the Landra River, and the Fel Mountains are all located in this province as well.

Antar-the capital city of Antar has the same name as the planet.

Mt. Sinai-a mountain in Tel'ai, it's name means (in Antarian) 'mountain of fate'

* * *

this is the stuff of legends…

Chapter Thirteen: By the Banks of the Landra River

_Day 13_

They had passed through the mountains without incident. It was not a long walk, although it was grueling, having to continually climb over rocks and push through shrubs. But now they were on the other side, and for the first time in months, Tess found herself out of the desert.

They were standing next to the Landra River. The air was damp, moist, the ground soft under their feet. Dark blue-green blades of grass grew in clumps around piles black and blood-red stones. The water was slightly darker than water on Earth, but still clear enough that Tess could see all the way to the sandy bottom. The silt in the riverbed was black as well, and perhaps that was what made the water appear darker.

Tess contemplated this for a moment as she bounced her son up and down in her arms.

"Glad to be out of the desert, Ava?"

"Yes," Tess laughed, turning to Khai. "Yes, I am."

In the distance, the lone mountain, Mt. Sinai, rose like a great monument, its summit disappearing into the clouds. At the foot of the mountain, a war was taking place, a battle fought in the name of the Royal Four.

"How much longer until we are there?" Tess asked, turning to Khai. "How much longer of a walk do you think it is?"

"Two days," Khai replied, eyeing the distance thoughtfully. "I would say we can walk it in two days." He glanced over at Tess. "Will you be ready to fight?" he asked. "After having traveled so long?"

"Do I have a choice?" Tess replied.

Khai inclined his head slowly, agreeing to the truth in her words.

"Why are the stones so red?" Tess asked suddenly, leaning over and picking up a tiny pebble. She held it in one hand, turning it back and forth in the light, watching as it seemed to glow. Alex giggled and reached out for it, his tiny hand grasping.

"I don't know the science behind it," Khai replied, "But I can tell you the myth."

"Oh?"

"There once was a great battle by the river. It was before Antar was settled, when it was completely controlled by demons. Then one day a goddess, by the name of Anta came to the land. She had been cast out of her own home by a traitorous brother, and was fleeing for her life across the galaxy. She wanted a place to rest for a few moments, and she came to this planet. But the moment she set foot on the land, the demons attacked her. All she wanted was to sleep for a few hours, and they killed her before she could explain."

"Was she avenged?" Tess questioned, dropping the red pebble into Alex's hand and watching as he played with it.

"Anta's brother heard of what had happened and was filled with remorse. He had banished his sister so that he could take the throne and be king of the gods on his planet, but he had never wanted her to die. And so, when he realized what horrible thing he had done, he led an army of gods to attack the demons and avenge his sister. It was a brutal battle, and many gods died, but in the end, they defeated the demons. However, the ground was so thick with blood that the stones were stained red. And so they have been, to this day."

"That is a really depressing myth," Tess commented.

Khai shrugged. "In the end, the king god defeated the demons and settled the planet. He named it Antar after his deceased sister, and swore that he would never again allow greed or jealousy to separate him from his family. He learned his lesson, and that, at least, is something."

"But he learned it too late," Tess replied grimly.

"Too late for his sister, but not for the others in his family," Khai countered. "And I think Anta would have given his life willingly had she known the change it would have brought about in her brother, had she known it would have made the god-king a better god."

"Quite a myth," Tess remarked, placing Alex gently on the ground and stretching her tired muscles. Her back groaned and strained as she lifted her arms above her head.

"Well, perhaps your story will be added to our myths, and some day someone will ask about you," Khai answered.

Tess laughed. "Why would my story be made into a myth?"

"Because, for good or ill, you are effectively changing Antarian history. Whether you win, lose, or draw against Khivar, your story is one that will be remembered," Khai said seriously, his tone grave. "You do realize that, don't you, Ava? Everything that has happened…two days from today will be the end of a five decade long civil war. Khivar is the greatest, strongest, most powerful King this planet has ever seen, and this…this will change everything."

Tess swallowed apprehensively. "What if I don't win?"

"Then you will be remembered as the martyr who died trying to save us all, and others will continue your battle until it is won," Khai answered simply. "You were killed, sent to Earth, brought back to life, cast away from Earth, had thrown headlong into a all-out war. Whatever happens, this is the sort of story that legends are made of."

Tess licked her suddenly dry lips and looked away.

* * *

Mr. Evans sighed and picked up the phone. He stared at it for a moment, then closed his eyes and tried to organize his jumbled thoughts. He had never felt so lost or confused in his life, and he hated it. He hated not knowing whether or not he had made the right choice.

Then he suddenly remembered Isabel's tearful voice as she told him about Tess. He remembered the haunted look in her eyes, the way she kept averting her gaze as though ashamed of what had happened. It had brought her so much grief, and she hadn't told him, hadn't been able to tell him anything about it. She hadn't known _how_.

And he knew what to do. In that moment, he suddenly knew what he needed to do. There was no evidence that anything was going on, and as long as their was no evidence, then…

He dialed the number and listened to the rings. The answering machine picked up, and Mr. Evans left a brief message. "Sheriff Hanson? It's Mr. Evans. I've decided to stop the investigation. I'm sorry to have troubled you for nothing…"

He wanted his children to know that they could come to him for anything.

* * *

"Hey," Maria smiled, approaching Michael.

Michael glanced up, the perpetual scowl on his face lessoning somewhat at the sight of his girlfriend. "Hey," he replied, running a hand through his hair. He was sitting on a bench outside the parking lot at school. It was lunch, and the bright sun beat down on the students as they milled back and forth across the school grounds.

"We need to talk," Maria said without preamble. She took a seat next to Michael on the bench, and looked at him seriously. There was no reason to beat around the bush, this was going to be a hard enough conversation no matter what she said or did.

"Yes," Michael agreed slowly. "We do."

"Do you love me?" Maria demanded.

Michael was silent for a long time, watching the way the sun reflected off Maria's blonde strands of hair. "I did," he said at last, answering the question honestly. "I think I still do."

"Do you love Isabel?" Maria asked, folding her hands in her lap and holding her breath. She wanted, _needed_, to know if there was anything between the two.

"I…I don't know." It was as honest of an answer as Michael could give, he honestly had no idea how he felt. "For the first ten years of my life, I always thought that Isabel was my sister. Then, when Tess revealed the truth, none of us where quite willing to accept it. There was just so much going on then, with the skins, and finding out who we were in our past lives, and…Pierce," his voice cracked slightly as he stumbled over the FBI agents name, "and I never stopped to really think about how I feel. But now… I don't know, Maria."

"I see the way you look at her now," Maria murmured. "And I see the way you look at Jesse, the jealousy and anger. I don't know if you are just being protective or if you…if you love her."

"I don't know either," Michael replied. "You are…you are the first girl that I ever loved, and that will never change."

"But do you still want to be with me?" Maria whispered. "Because if you don't… I love you, and I don't want to stand in the way of you and Isabel, is that's what you really want. I love you too much to do that."

"And I love you," Michael said, and suddenly he knew it was true. "I love you, and I want to be with you."

"And Isabel?"

"I can't change the way I feel about her," Michael replied slowly. "Can you live with that? With knowing that I may love someone else as well?"

Maria looked at Michael for a long time, contemplating his question. "I don't know," she said at last. "But I'm willing to try."

* * *

"Hey," Liz said, taking a seat next to Max on the grass.

"Hey," Max replied, glancing up at Liz. He stared back across the quad, watching as Michael and Maria talked. He wondered what they were saying, wondered if everything was alright between them. He would have given almost anything to be a fly on that bench.

Liz followed his gaze and sighed. "I think they are trying to work things out."

"Yeah," Max agreed. He shook his head slowly, knowing how difficult this was for both Maria and Michael. He wished there was a way to make this easier on them, to keep his friends from getting hurt. What kind of king was he if he couldn't even protect his family?

And he was suddenly filled with the need to explain his feelings to Liz.

"I love you," Max said seriously.

Liz turned and looked at him, her face full of surprise. "Wh-what?" she stammered.

"I love you," Max repeated. "I know everything that has happened with Tess, I've blown you off more than once. It isn't because I don't love you or I don't want to talk to you. I've just been preoccupied with everything else, and I wanted you to know that."

"I know," Liz replied softly, lightly. "I love you too." But her eyes betrayed her inner anxiety, a fact that did not escape Max's notice.

"Then what's wrong?" Max asked gently.

"If Tess comes back, you'll have to go to her," Liz replied sadly. It was hard for her to say, the words got stuck in her throat. "You are her husband, the father of her child. You are a family."

Max nodded, knowing that what Liz said was the truth. "But I don't love her."

"Don't you?" Liz questioned. "You don't jump into bed with just anyone, Max. I know that much about you, so you must have felt something for her when you slept with her."

"I did," Max said honestly. "I loved her. But not like I love you."

"If Tess comes back…"

"Then I will deal with everything," Max cut in. "But we don't know if she is coming back. Once I help her defeat Khivar, she may stay on Antar." He looked away. "Besides, even if she does come back, I doubt she would want to be with me."

"She would," Liz said staunchly. She didn't know how she knew it, but she did. If Tess came back, she would want to be with Max, because Max was not the sort of person that you just gave up on. And Tess was not the sort of person who just gave up.

"I love you," Max repeated.

"I love you too," Liz sighed.

* * *

"How many battles have we fought to date?" Naj asked as he crouched at Arya side, surveying the destruction below them. They were perched on one of the small foothills at the base of Mt. Sinai, watching as the Resistance conducted a series of swift raids on the royal troops. The air was heavy with the smoke of fires and the smell of bloodshed.

"Too many," Arya replied. She closed her eyes and sent out a mental order to the Resistance, instructing them to fall back and retreat. Archers sent a rain of arrows down on the royal soldiers while the Resistance soldiers melted back into the shadows of the mountain.

Naj gave a short, bitter laugh.

The sound of footsteps on dry grass caused the two to turn, and they watched in impassive silence as Ceyla joined them. "We are being slaughtered," she remarked in a woild-be casual tone. Her voice betrayed her fear, wavering slightly as she spoke.

"How can we expect to win?" Naj murmured, turning his eyes back to the fray. The three were well hidden from view, but they didn't dare stay there long after the Resistance retreated. Khivar would send his troops through the foothills, hunting out stragglers, and they did not want to get caught here.

"The Queen will be here soon," Arya replied, turning and glancing out at the Landra river, where she alone knew that the Queen and General Khai were hiding.

"But will she be here soon enough?" Naj asked, casting a worried glance at Ceyla.

"We just have to hold out a little while longer," Arya replied, licking dry lips. "Just a little while longer."

The three slipped away, unnoticed by the royal soldiers, and made their way back to the Resistance camp. Neither had to say it, each knew what the other was thinking.

How much longer could they wait before Khivar destroyed them all?

They were walking a fine line between triumph and destruction, and they were running out of time.

* * *

"_Promise_ me," Tess repeated slowly, her eyes boring into Khai's. She held the Granolith out to him, waiting for him to take it, to take the oath she was demanding of him.

Khai stared at her for a moment, hesitating. He could tell by the look in her eyes that he would not be able to convince her to change her mind. So he did the only thing he could, he nodded and took the Granolith. "I give you my word," he murmured. He looked away, and they were silent for a moment, each contemplating how the fate of the world may have very well been altered in that one moment. Then Khai continued quietly, "Although I do not like this…"

Tess rubbed her weary eyes. "Yeah, well, you win some, you lose some." She stood up and glanced around her, watching as the sunlight rippled across the surface of the river. "Or in my case, you just keep losing."

Khai raised an eyebrow. "You seem disheartened, Ava," he commented dryly.

"Khivar had the advantage in everything, and somehow he manages to succeed at everything he had done," Tess pointed out in frustration. "Larek, Sria, Shalimar… How am I suppose to stop him when I can't even protect my friends?"

"Perhaps you were not meant to save them," Khai replied pragmatically.

"What do you mean?" Tess asked, confused.

"Sometimes, you just can't save everyone. Perhaps the reason Khivar has won so much is because he was supposed to win that," Khai elaborated. He glanced away at the sun, watching as it sank slowly over the distant horizon.

"Like destiny?" Tess gave a bitter laugh. "I think I stopped believing in that a while ago."

"Well, perhaps you stopped believing in the other Ava's destiny. But you are a different person, and you have a different destiny," Khai countered. "Maybe your destiny was never to be with Zan. Maybe your destiny was never to stay on Earth."

"Great. So from the beginning my destiny was to lose everyone I cared about and everything I valued? That makes me feel better," Tess snapped.

"Don't be petty," Khai warned. "Your destiny might not be fair, but then, neither is life." He stood up as well and eyed Tess thoughtfully. "When Zan's mother and father sent the four of you to Earth, they believed you would find each other and come back to Antar to defeat Khivar. Granted things did not work out exactly as planned, but you did come back. And the four of you can defeat Khivar."

Tess nodded slowly. "So, in a way, destiny worked out after all."

"If Larek hadn't died, if Sria hadn't died, if Lotho, and Kani, and Shalimar, and Radim, and Sirch hadn't all died…Ava, if you hadn't been through everything you've been through, would you be strong enough to defeat Khivar?" Khai questioned.

And Tess was honest enough to admit, "No."

"Then that is why it happened. Don't you see? All this had to happen, Khivar had to continually win each round, because that was the only way that you would be able to win the final round."

"So fate was really on my side all along?" Tess mused, and despite everything she had lost, that did make her feel marginally better.

"Tomorrow, things will change." Khai looked out at the distant mountain where Khivar's troops were currently stationed.

"Yes," Tess replied in grim satisfaction. "Yes, they will."

* * *

Author's note: I know the last section with the promise was sort of vague, but all will be explained in a later chapter.

Next Chapter: At the Foot of Mt. Sinai

Due: Thurs. 3/23


	14. At the Foot of Mt Sinai

Title: Mythology

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

Author's note: Just a reminder, 'Sinai' means 'fate' in Antarian, so Mt. Sinai is technically the 'mountain of fate.' Also, if you don't know who Agent Simmons is (i.e. the guest speaker who recognized Max), read the part of 'The Hammer Falls' that deals with him and Agent Blair, because he is important in this part.

* * *

Chapter Fourteen: At the Foot of Mt. Sinai

_Day 14_

Tess woke with the rising sun, and crawled across the ground on her hands and knees, staying low and out of sight. The safety of the abandoned bunker had not been compromised during the night, but she still did not want to take any risks. Who knew how many skins were out there?

"Ava?"

Tess turned and looked back at Khai. He was standing in a low crouch, peering over the stone debris at the distant mountain. "It is almost time we left. Are you ready?"

Tess nodded mutely. Something lingered in the air today, something telling her that the final battle was close. She swallowed her anticipation and stood, twisting and looking at the hazy figure of Mt. Sinai. It was not that far away, a little less than a day's walk, and the rest of the Resistance would be there, waiting for her.

Waiting for a Queen.

She would not disappoint them.

Khai stood slowly, kicking the stones away and pushing through the overgrown bush. The grass whipped back and forth in the wind, rolling in waves over the stony earth. It made Tess think fleetingly of the Roswell desert in the spring when all the new grass first poked through the rocks and sand.

"Do you have a plan?" Khai questioned.

Tess shook her head wordlessly and pulled Alex tightly to her chest. His face was pale, too pale for her liking, this journey had taken a toll on him as well. But his eyes were still bright, and they still regarded her with a sort of wonder.

She pressed a kiss into his hair and felt the familiar sensation as he reached out and brushed his mind against her conscious.

"You should have a plan," Khai broke into the sentimental moment with his usual gruff logic. "You can't arrive at the sight of the battle without a plan."

Tess glanced over at him. "I'm going to wing it," she replied airily. "It's what I've been doing for the past few months, and its worked out alright so far."

"For you," Khai replied pointedly. "But it didn't work out so well for others."

Tess sighed and leaned against an outcropping. "What would you suggest I do, Khai? I don't know what it is I am walking into, all I know is I don't have _time_ to come up with a plan." She looked away, her eyes shadowed with the remains of the guilt that would not quite leave her alone. "And even if I had had a plan, I would not have been able to save Larek or Sria."

"True," Khai agreed with a nod of his head. "There deaths were in no way your fault."

"That's not true," Tess cut in sharply. Khai raised and eyebrow and she looked away, her face flushed. "Max, Isabel, and Michael aren't the only ones who have done stupid things in the heat of the moment. I'm just as guilty as they are of that crime."

"You didn't betray your family," Khai pointed out.

Tess sighed. "I could have stayed on Earth and defended myself, tried to work with them instead of against them. But I left, in part to save Alex, but mostly because I was angry at them. Furious. I wanted to hurt Max, I wanted to make him suffer."

Tess licked her suddenly dry lips and glanced at Alex's eyes. They were her own eyes, baby blue and shinning bright, that stared up at her with innocence. "I dragged Alex into this entire mess without giving him a choice in the matter."

"He is the heir to the throne, he has no choice," Khai replied simply.

"I don't believe that," Tess countered. She slanted Khai and appraising glance. "And neither do you," she continued, and Khai looked away. "There is always a choice."

"Is there?" Khai asked.

"Max chose not to come with me," Tess murmured. "Max chose not to believe me. That was his choice."

"He believes you now," Khai retorted. "He wishes he was with you now. He may have chosen not to come, but he regrets that decision."

"He is happy with Liz," Tess snapped bitterly.

"He will never be happy as long as he continues to think of himself as human," Khai replied. "He will never be happy unless he can accept that he is not fully human, and does not belong on Earth."

"He is not fully Antarian, does that mean he doesn't belong here either?" Tess questioned, raising one eyebrow.

Khai pondered this in silence, then said, "Perhaps. But we digress from the issue at hand. I still think that a plan will help you now. It may be your only chance at winning this, at saving us and yourself."

Tess shrugged. "I know," she replied, "but like I said, I don't have the time. Khivar knows I am coming, if I do not attack by tonight…I can't give him time to prepare. The element of surprise is my only strength right now."

Khai shook his head. "But it doesn't have to be. As a commander of an army, I can tell you now that a few minutes of planning are worth a decade of battles."

Tess gave a bitter chuckle. "Don't you think I don't know that? Everything that has happened to me, everything that has lead me to this place… It has all happened because I acted on instinct, acted without thinking. But it's kept me alive so far…"

"It's kept you alive when the only two people you had to worry about were yourself and your son. This is different," Khai objected.

"What would you have me do?" Tess asked. She bit her lip and looked down at the sand. "Some things are simply going to happen, whether we will it or not. No amount of planning can ever change that."

Khai gave her a crooked grin. "Destiny?" he questioned.

"Fate," she replied with her own smile.

"Then it is fitting that you are fighting this final battle at the Mountain of Fate," Khai murmured, looking in the direction of Mt. Sinai.

Tess nodded and shifted Alex in her arms. "Let's walk," she said quietly. "We can come up with a plan as we travel."

Khai gave her a pensive look and nodded, following his Queen as she made her way towards the distant mountain.

* * *

Max woke in his bed and rolled over, his head pounding with an intensity he could not ignore. He stood shakily, a wave of dizziness overwhelming him, and walked slowly towards the kitchen, intent of getting some water. Through the darkness of the room, he could just barely make out the moving silhouette behind the closed door to Michael's room, and he knew suddenly Michael too had woken up, feeling the strange sense of fate in the air.

He poured himself a glass of water and took a sip, then another, quenching his parched throat. The headache began to subside, and he leaned forward, resting his elbows on the cold tile of the counter. Then the sound of padded footsteps on the floor alerted him to another presence in the room.

"Michael."

"Maxwell."

"Today. It is going to happen today, I feel it."

Tess would be reaching out to them, drawing on their power to defeat Khivar. Today would decide the fate of two worlds, of two places Max could theoretically call home.

It was a strange feeling, knowing that everything they had ever worked for in the past two years was going to be determined by this one moment in time. Every sacrifice, every risk, every choice they had made had lead back here. If they did not complete this, they would have failed, and the entire planet would pay for it with their lives.

Max thought fleetingly of Tess, and wished he could be there to face the end with her.

"What do we do, Maxwell?" Michael asked somberly, cutting into the hybrid king's thoughts.

Max looked at Michael, then down at the counter, his mind weary. "Call Isabel," he said at last. "Have her meet us over here. We will wait for Tess together."

Michael nodded and left, and Max went back to his troubled thoughts.

* * *

Arya watched as the soldiers packed the rest of their supplies into bags and began to file out of the campsite. The scouts had returned from the night before, and they had brought worrisome news. Khivar's army had seem to grow during the night, spreading out over the foothills. Each soldier was armed to the teeth, ready to fight. The Resistance was outnumbered a hundred to one, and they did not even have the home court advantage.

Arya turned and looked out into the distant sun high overhead, rising slowly in the late morning sky. The Landra river snaked back and forth in the remote fields, and somewhere along those banks, she knew the Queen and General Khai were hiding. It was less than a day's walk, but would they make it in time?

The Resistance had to attack soon. The longer Khai had to prepare his soldiers, the harder he would be to defeat. They needed the element of surprise, they had precious little advantages as it was.

"Lady Arya?"

Arya twisted and looked at Ceyla. The alien was kneeling on the ground next to her, waiting for orders. The soldiers were ready to move, ready to engage in a battle that could very well kill them all. All they needed was the order to attack.

Arya stood and drew a breath. She nodded slowly, grimly. "Move out."

* * *

Mr. Evans reached for the telephone as it rang, groaning as he glanced at the pile of work spread out on the desk in front of him. It had been a long day, and it was only shortly after lunch. But already the casework was flooding in, and he really did not want any added distractions. "Hello?" he asked slowly, holding the phone in one hand and sifting through the papers that lay in scattered heaps.

"Mr. Evans? This is Sheriff Hanson. I have some news for you, regarding this Tess Harding."

"I told you, Sheriff, I'm not interested in this anymore. I appreciate you taking the time to do this for me, but I don't…"

"Tess Harding does not exist in any file we found."

Mr. Evans blinked. "What?" he asked, not comprehending the statement. "But she…I _met_ her. Last year, Max was close to her. They…"

"The girl you know as Tess Harding may very well have been a real person. But before she showed up in Roswell, we have no record of her every attending school anywhere," Hanson cut in. "I've backtracked a little in the investigation. I searched her school files, and it says she transferred to Roswell High from New York, but when I checked the school in New York, they had no record of her there. They did, however, have the record of another girl who fits Ms. Harding's description and left at the same time Ms. Harding did. A…Sara Baker."

"I don't understand…?"

"And Ms. Baker was only at the school in New York for two years. Her records there say that she transferred from Raleigh High School in North Carolina, but when I checked those records, Ms. Baker did not go to school there. There was another girl, also fitting the same description, and also transferring schools at the right time…a Kate Monet."

"What does that mean?" Mr. Evans breathed. He was fairly certain he knew what it meant, but he had to hear it to actually believe it. He had to hear the words from the Sheriff's lips before he would…

"It means that this Ms. Harding in a chameleon, Mr. Evans. She has a new identity everywhere she goes."

Mr. Evans nodded slowly, having no idea what to say.

* * *

Agent Simmons watched as the teacher sorted through her files and chatted easily about the students. He turned out most of what she was saying, not having any interest in the mundane and routine lives of those who attended Roswell High. He was here for one reason and one reason only, and it was not to exchange gossip.

He was ordered to find out everything he could on Max Evans.

Posing as a guest teacher had been a stroke of genius, allowing him access to any background check on any student that he requested.

"…which came as such a shock to us because Ms. Parker was such a nice girl. She just fell in with the wrong crowd," the teacher was saying, and her words jolted Simmons out of his thoughts.

"What?" he asked sharply.

"Well, that Evans boy, he was always so quiet. Actually, he was a little too quiet, now that I think back on it. I should have known he was trouble," the teacher explained, flashing a bubble-gum pink smile that revealed rows of perfect white teeth. Her fake blonde hair cascaded in front of her face, and she flicked it aside impatiently. "He was a charmer though, I'll give him that much, since he managed to get Ms. Parker to follow him. Such a shame…" She shook her head and clicked her tongue disapprovingly.

"I see…" Agent Simmons murmured, his tone indicating that he wanted the teacher to continue.

Which she did.

"Of course, a lot of it started after poor Alex Whitman died. And then one of our other students, Tess Harding, she left as well. Some sort of bad falling out, I believe. And both she and Mr. Whitman were close to Mr. Evans and Ms. Parker, so it was so hard on them both, but especially Ms. Parker." The teacher gave another smile, this time sympathetic. "Poor girl…"

"I hadn't heard about this…Tess Harding, did you say here name was? And Alex Whitman. What happened?" Agent Simmons pried.

"Well, it was quite the tragedy, let me tell you…"

* * *

The royal soldiers crouched by their fires, their eyes constantly scanning the dark area around them. They spoke in hushed whispers, comparing stories of the previous skirmish. A sense of fate seemed to hang in the air as though they knew that the upcoming battle would be the one to decide the destiny of their world.

Khivar strode through the camp, appraisingly eyeing his soldiers. They were restless, ready for the next fight. He licked his lips in anticipation, and thought of the events that had brought him to this place. It had been a long and grueling campaign, but today would be the end.

Today the Resistance would die.

Khivar left the camp and walked out of the shadow of the great mountain that loomed above him. Mt. Sinai. In the Antarian language, Sinai meant 'fate.' In one of the major religions of Earth, a Mt. Sinai played a pivotal role in shaping who the people of that faith would become. It was poetic, then, that it was at the foot of this great mountain that the final battle would be fought.

Khivar made his way through the labyrinth of twisting stone until he had reached the great plateau. Mist and fog swirled about the rocky crags. He turned and glanced behind him. The base of the mountain was covered in rocky hills, some hundreds of feet high. One in particular, the highest pinnacle, stood so far above the rest that Khivar had to lean back to see it's summit. Beyond that summit, the mountain itself rose, disappearing into the sky.

"Come!" Khivar called to his soldiers. They were hidden from view behind the rocks, but they heard his call and came to him. The royal army spread out around him like a great tidal wave of bronze and steal. They moved back and forth about him, a living, pulsing, throng.

Khivar strode forward until he was fully out of the shadow. The plateau stretched out in front of him. The sun was rising over the hills in the east, casting fiery red light on to the ground. The light danced in the prisms of dew that had settled on the waves of ocher grass. The air was clear and fresh, the sky a brilliant blue, streaked with the purples and reds of sunrise. The wind hummed and whistled as it flew across the ground.

A silence settled over the soldiers and they turned to face the east, watching as the sun rose. Then, from behind, the sound of thunder like the crash of symbols broke the still morning. A bolt of lightening appeared from the cloudless sky, striking the ground. The grass leapt into a blaze, the red flames of fire licking the ground as they raced towards the royal army.

As one, the army turned and looked at the mountain behind them. The rebel army appeared suddenly, scrambling down over the rocky hills. They seemed to rise like Phoenixes from the flames that licked the ground below them. Standing on the rocks, they were lit from below by the warm orange light of the fire. Each face was fixed in a grim and harsh expression as they glared down upon their enemy.

Today was the day of reckoning.

The royal army moved together, racing towards the rocks. The fire burned around them, scorching the earth and sending pillars of dark smoke into the air. They soldiers coughed and stumbled, their eyes burning, but they pressed onwards. The rebels streamed down from their perches, flying into the fire. Soon the two armies clashed, throwing themselves into the great passion of war.

And then, over the screams of soldiers, the crash of swords, the haze of smoke, the crackling of fire, and the flashes of light, a voice called out. Strong, powerful, and filled with emotion, the voice cried one word to the heavens.

"Khivar!"

And Khivar turned to look.

Rising from the swirling fog and mist, a lone figure appeared on the highest summit of the gray rocks, standing a hundred feet above the army. The morning light hit her hair, making the gold curls shine as though lit from within. Her pale skin glowed with the sweat of battle. Her sapphire eyes were dark, so dark they could have been black, and they shone with an unparalleled cold fury. The last wisps of fog swirled about her feet.

The Queen had come.

* * *

Next Chapter: Battle of the Gods 

Due: Tues 3/28


	15. Battle of the Gods

Title: Mythology

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

Author's Note: This is the final chapter in this story. It is quite sad, so I hope you are prepared to both cry and hate me at the end. Make sure you have read Checkmate and the Crucible, or some of the references won't make any sense. The song is _Dig_ by Jars of Clay. It would be worthwhile to read the lyrics as you read the story, although it isn't necessary to do so.

* * *

Chapter Fifteen: Battle of the Gods

**_I had a big idea  
I had a crazy eye  
I broke the sacred seal  
I told a lazy lie_**_**  
**_

How did it end up like this?

The top of the summit was a small circle, about twelve feet across. It was flat, with the occasional rock and tuft of grass. The ground was covered in sand and the remains of the early morning dew and fog. From this vantage point, the world sloped out in great rolling plains and winding roads. To one side, the Landra River wound its way through the province. To the other, the Fel Mountains curved about in a twisted line, and far beyond them the sand of the Triaji desert glistened in the morning light. High above, the cloudless sky was flooded with brilliant red from the rising sun.

But the beauty was lost on Tess and Khivar.

The two stood and faced each other, unaware of anything around them. They stood on opposite sides of the summit, watching and waiting. Far below them, every soldier in the rebel and royal armies had paused to look up at the scene. They had watched in fascination as Khivar climbed the hundred feet to face the Queen.

And Tess had let him climb, not wanting to strike him until he was level with her. This would be a fair fight. He had finally pulled himself to his feet in front of her, his hands scratched and covered with blood and dirt, his hair matted with sweat, his eyes shinning with greedy anticipation.

And so they stood, two still statues, waiting for the final battle to begin.

How did it end up like this?

_You kill me, you kill your son._

Seven simple words that had forever changed the fate of an entire planet.

She hadn't thought it through at the time. There hadn't been any time to think it through, not with her son dying in her womb, not with the clock ticking away, not with the furious face of the boy-king glaring at her with ferocity unparalleled.

But it hadn't been about any of that.

She had wanted to hurt him.

And she did.

_Checkmate_.

But had she thought it through, had she realized the consequences of her actions when she uttered those seven words, would she still have said them? Would she have lead herself to this place?

Maybe, maybe not.

It was too late now, and why waste precious moments on something that could not be changed?

She _had_ said those words, and she _was_ here.

Here, on the Mountain of Fate, facing her destiny.

_**I've had my conscience bent  
I've had my patience tried**__**  
I've been up in the desert and down by the river side**_

How did it end up like this?

_It took her years, decades, to become the Queen she was. She cannot relearn it in two weeks._

_I can try. Arya is right, I am still Ava. Teach me how to be a Queen._

If only it was that simple. If only one could be taught to be a Queen. But Khai had been right about one thing, it took more than just training to become the person she once was.

It took blood and tears and sweat.

And she had given all three.

She had given them, and in return, she had become the person she had always wanted.

A Queen.

But did she want it now? Did she want to be here on this mountain, fighting a battle that had started long before her hybrid self was born? Or would she have rather hid in the back and let the King ride to the front of the regiments and lead them into the fray?

She didn't know the answer to that, but it didn't matter. She was the Queen, whether she willed it or not, and she was _here_, whether she wanted it or not.

And there was no King to save them all.

How did it end up like this?

_How do you know the desert is impossible to cross? Have you ever tried? Has anyone ever tried?_

Another action she had not properly thought through. She had decided on the plan the moment the idea had occurred to her, and she had not stopped to consider the final end result.

But perhaps it did not matter. Perhaps she never had a choice in any of this. Perhaps every path she chose would have eventually lead her to this moment in time.

Battle.

No, not battle.

_War_.

**_Will the eagle fly  
If the sky's untrue?  
Do the faithful sigh  
Because they are so few?_**

There were no taunts, no tricks, no traps, no deceptions. The battle started in silence, but beneath the wordless cover a inner conflict raged, one filled with fire and passion and hatred. Tess struck a blow, and Khivar parried it; Khivar struck a blow and Tess jumped to the side. They moved around each other, circling in greedy anticipation, each filled with the desire to finally end the conflict that had brewed since Khivar's first attack on Zan many years ago.

For Khivar, it was a final attempt cover the bitter loss that had filled him since Vilandra had turned away, the anger that seeped from his pores at the mention of the Queen, the fear that he would never win the planet. For Tess, it was the opportunity to prove, once and for all, that she was worth something. For Antar, it was a battle between the two most powerful beings on the planet, a battle that would decide their fate and destiny, a battle that would be recorded in the history books as the turning point of the nation, whether for good or evil was yet to be seen. And for Earth, for the three hybrids who unaware of the horrors of the war that had been fought in their names, it was the only chance they would ever have to stop the end of the world.

Only a few moments into the battle, and Tess was already covered in bruises. Already filled with despair as the energy left her. Already counting the seconds to her death, to the moment in time when she would never breathe again.

But Khivar was weary as well, because although he had the stronger power, Tess had the greater passion. It radiated from her waves of energy that almost knocked him over in their intensity. For her, this was so much more than just a battle.

This was her _destiny_.

Tess struck another blow, a bolt of energy to the chest. Khivar blocked it with a shield of green energy and launched his own furious attack, a rapid series of electric bolts that flashed through the sky and shattered at her feet. She was blown backwards and tumbled over the grass, smashing her head against the rocks.

Tess swung around and forced herself to move out of the way before Khivar could attack again. Crouching on her hands and knees, she let the current power leave her outstretched hand and fill the air with the hum of electricity.

Khivar stepped aside, and the energy hit the rocks behind him, smashing in a violent burst of light. He was too fast for her attacks, and held the upper hand. It was not long until Tess was on the defensive, struggling just to make it through every agonizing moment.

_You lived another life, Max...a life completely different from this one...a life when you loved me. _

_I don't remember that. _

But she remembered. She remembered only too well the countless memories of the life none of the others cared about. She remembered the people depending on her to win this battle. She remembered those she loved, dead now because of Khivar and what he had done. And she remembered her son, so young, so innocent, so full of life and naïve happiness.

And she pulled herself unsteadily to her feet.

**_Remember when I cried  
Remember when you knew  
Remember the look in your eyes  
I know I do_**

As Tess struck another blow, as she dove out of the way of the countering attack, she remembered another memory, one from only two days ago, a memory of the promises she had extracted from Khai, of the life she had provided for her son and for Antar.

_Tess stood and placed her hands on the Granolith, feeling the surge of power flowing through her body. She lifted the orb in the air and stared at it, watching how the light danced within it, swirling about in an array of different shades. "It's funny," she murmured, "how so much power could be held in something so small."_

_Khai turned and looked up at the petite alien's tiny figure, a smirk curling the corners of his lips. "Indeed," he said, and Tess turned sharply, knowing there was more to the one word than Khai let on. But Khai turned and looked away, his eyes betraying nothing. "It's yours."_

"_The Granolith?"_

"_Yes." Khai stood and stretched his arms. "It belongs to the ruling family of Antar." He looked away, out over the land, and frowned, watching as the sun sank slowly. "The final battle is near. I can feel it."_

_Tess nodded and knew that it was time to discuss the plan that had been slowly forming in her mind for the past several days. "After the battle, you can keep it," she said bluntly, holding the glowing orb out to Khai._

_Khai glanced down at the Granolith, but made no move to take it. "It belongs to the…"_

"…_ruling house of Antar," Tess finished his sentence quickly. "Yes, I know." She waited until Khai was looking at her, waited until she could see the comprehension dawning in his eyes, then said, "Sria told me once that Antarian children were weak when they were in the womb, but Alex could probably survive on Earth now."_

"_You mean to send your son to Earth?" Khai asked incredulously. This, coming form the woman who had so vehemently disliked the course the other hybrids had chosen, who thought stay on Earth was tantamount to betrayal, this coming from her was beyond understanding._

"_Alex is no use to the planet, Khai. Once Khivar is dead, Antar needs a strong leader, not a little boy. They need someone who can pull them out of the pit of despair Khivar has so blindly thrown them all into. They need _you_."_

"_No," Khai countered. "No, they need you."_

_Tess shook her head. "I must face Khivar, Khai. And it is a battle I must start and finish on my own. But I am no fool, I know that Khivar far out-powers me. My only hope is that if I must die, I may be able to take him with me."_

"_No…"_

"_You, Sria, Larek, Lotho, Kani, Arya… you've all taught me that a ruler's primary task is to ensure the welfare and prosperity of their people," Tess pressed. "And I am honest enough to admit that leaving Alex here as ruler after I die will do them no good. He will be a puppet in someone else's power struggle, and I don't want that for my son or for this planet."_

_Khai swallowed back his protest and looked down at the ground, wondering if there was anyway to change the Queen's mind. But her sapphire eyes were set with steely determination, and he knew there was nothing he could do. And he knew also, that she was right. She would have to face Khivar in the battlefield, and she would not survive the encounter._

_That thought hurt him more than would have expected._

"_How can I lead? I've never trained to be a ruler," Khai pointed out. "Normally when someone abdicates the throne, the replacement is trained for years before they become King or Queen."_

"_Khai, you lead the Resistance for decades before I returned to Antar. And you've protected the Granolith for three months now, risking your life to keep it out of Khivar's hands. You proven, time and again, that you will do whatever is necessary to deliver this planet from hell. Whether you realize it or not, you've already proven that you can be King."_

_Khai bowed his head, knowing there was truth in her words._

"_Khai, promise me that if I die, you will take the throne of Antar, and you will do everything in your power to protect and care for this planet and its people," Tess said in a voice ringing with authority. "And promise me that once you are King, you will send Alex to Earth, to someone nice and some place safe." She hesitated, and then continued in a softer tone, "And promise me that this planet will not forget me. _Promise _me."_

"_I give you my word," Khai replied, taking the Granolith from Tess and holding it in his hands in a symbolic acceptance of the throne. But it was an acceptance of so more than that. It was an acceptance of the truth that destiny had laid out a different path for Tess, one so far removed from what anyone expected, and one that refused to budge. With the Granolith, she could channel Max, Michael, and Isabel, and with the Granolith, she could defeat Khivar. But once that battle was over, life would pass her by, and the Granolith would move to someone else. _

_**And count the stars to measure time  
The earth is hard, the treasure fine  
To the sea, I crawl on my knees**_

_Tess bit her lip and stared down at the paper in her hand. She ran her fingers over the blank page, feeling the fibers beneath her skin. She wanted to write a letter to her son, something for him to remember her by once she had passed on, but what could she say? What could she possibly say that would ever explain everything she had done, everything she had wanted for him?_

_Dear Alex…_

_No, she crossed it out with a sharp mark from her pen. It sounded to formal, to stuffy, and if this was the only letter she ever wrote him, she wanted it to sound right._

_My darling boy…_

_Too sappy. She scratched that out as well. Who wanted to be called a darling boy by their mother?_

_But she would not be his mother._

_No, she would be his mother, but she would not be Mom. Someone else would be Mom, and she could only hope that whoever it was, they were as loving as the Evans, as understanding as the Valenti's and as ruthless in protecting their own at Nasedo._

_She wanted her son to be happy, to be accepted, to be safe._

_To my son…_

_I wish I could be there to see you grow up. I wish I could watch as you ate your first solid food, said your first word, took your first step. I wish I could be there for all of those firsts…_

_But she couldn't. _

_God, this was harder than she thought it would be. _

_No, it was just as hard as she thought it would be. But she had not allowed herself to think about it, to realize the reality of what she was doing, until that moment._

_And she suddenly knew exactly what her parents, Michael's parents, and Max's and Isabel's parents has felt as they let their children go._

_The knowledge that this was for the best did not completely mask the doubt that ate away at her soul as she stared at her sleeping son._

_She would give him a memory, she decided abruptly. A memory of her, so that he would know who his mother was and where he came from._

_A memory and a letter. It was not much, but it was all she had left to give._

_She had already given him her life._

**_  
Feel it coming in_**_**  
Feel it going out**_

Memories. A lifetime…no, _two_ lifetimes' worth of memories flashed before Tess' eyes as she battled on, oblivious to everyone around her but the skin king. She did not know that, far below her, the two armies watched the battle with growing anticipation. She could not know that far away on another planet, three hybrids crouched around an apartment table, waiting for their fourth to contact them.

She was aware of only the present moment and the memories that rushed through her mind.

"_Liz is human. She has nothing to do with us."_

"_No, you have nothing to do with us."_

_**Water covers sin  
Blood covers doubt**__  
_

"_What was the deal? Tell me!" _

"_To return home with you child, and deliver the three of you to Khivar." The answer was calculated to cause pain. You claim you never loved me? You claim that I was only a rebound, a woman you could care nothing about? Well, guess what? I never loved you either. In fact, this was all some great scheme of mine to get home. I was just using you. How does it feel to be used? To be nothing but a means to an end? To be nothing at all?_

_How. Does. It. _Feel

"_How did I ever fall in love with someone like you? How could I ever marry you?"_

_Flushed crimson with anger, she hit back hard. "You were different then, you were a king. Now you're just a boy."_

_**  
**_

_**So I begin again  
Again the kneeling bow  
**_

_The two of the buildings caved inwards. They glowed orange with fire. The air was suddenly filled with acrid smoke which hung heavily in the air. Shards of glass littered the streets, mixed with pieces of brick and other rubble. The fire raged, spreading rapidly across the ground and quickly catching the surrounding buildings in a blaze. The sounds of screams, of shouting, of panic sobs filled the air._

_The two woman and the child had been caught in the thick of the fire, and the child screamed in panic and horror, his tiny voice barely audible over the crackling of the flames._

_**There was a time that I might have surrendered  
**_

_The energy struck Sria in the back, and the redhead was lifted off of the ground, her body glowing with a eerie blue light. She hung in the air for a moment, then crashed heavily into the wall and slid to the ground, her eyes closing shut._

_**But not now  
**_

"_The others? What about them, Larek?"_

"_They're gone…I think…I don't know…the planet it so…he's destroyed us…Ava. I think the others were not too lucky…I don't know if even Khai escaped, but I think…I hope and pray he did…the Granolith must not fall to Khivar…you understand that?"_

_**  
Consult the cards to measure mine  
The earth is hard, the treasure fine  
To the sea I crawl on my knees  
**_

There were good memories as well, though. There were people worth fighting for and conversations worth cherishing.

_When you first arrived here, I told you I did not think you would be able to become a true Queen. I told you that I saw you as useless, as worthless, as a waste of time. I see now that I was wrong._

Tess pulled herself slowly to her knees and stared up at Khivar. Blood stained her clothes. Her hair was matted to her face with sweat, dust and dirt caked her pale skin. As she stared up into the gloating yellow eyes, she felt fury and rage fill every fiber, every cell of her being. She dug deep into the reservoir of energy and with one final Herculean effort, managed to throw Khivar away from her.

_I remember you._

It was hard to hold on. Every agonizing moment was dragged out as though in slow motion. Khivar struggled against the power surging from Tess. He blasted her with every bit of energy he had, and it was all she could do to keep her strength up. But somehow she managed, and her power forced Khivar backwards and closer to the edge of the rocks.

_Listen, I just want you to know if anything goes wrong... if you're not able to go home, then you have a home here. That your child has a home here too. I mean, you're uh, you're both part of this family now. We'll figure out what's wrong with the baby. We'll find a way._

It was now or never. Tess reached out into the blackness around her mind, her spirit connecting with the power of the Granolith, and she felt Max, Michael, and Isabel combine within. The power from all four of them was like nothing she had ever expected, ever experienced, ever even dreamed was possible. It was wild and alive and colorful. It danced with brilliant light as it exploded from her outstretched palms, striking her enemy directly in the chest, sending his toppling into the air.

_Yeah, well...you're my favorite Martian. _

Khivar's body hovered in the air for a moment, suspended by the power flowing from Tess' outstretched arm. Then the last of Tess' strength gave way, and the skin King fell, tumbling a hundred feet to the ground below. And as the world darkened around her, as she drew her final breath and felt her spirit slip away, Tess smiled, remembering the one word that had brought so much joy, so much light, and so much strength to her life.

_Mama._

On Earth, Max felt Tess' presence slip away from his own, felt the drain on his powers stop, and he realized, with a sudden rush of grief and agony, that Tess was gone.

**_  
Consult the cards to measure mine  
The earth is hard, the treasure fine  
At the sea I wait on my knees  
At the sea I wait on my knees  
At the sea I wait on my knees_**

**_

* * *

_**

Alright, show of hands, folks, how many people want to kill me? (Please don't answer this question until you've read my next story, I promise it makes up for the horrible thing I did here)

My next and last story in this series will be entitled _Epilogue: Redemption_. It will be posted soon because I've already gotten it written and I just need to add some final touches to it. Here's the thing, it starts thirty-two years after this story ends. And I'm not actually going to tell anything about what happens in between. Like _The Crucible_, I am leaving it all to your imagination. What did Mr. Evans do with his information? Did the other hybrids ever tell their parents and Jesse the truth? Did Khai lead Antar out of depression? Are Arya, Ceyla, Naj, and Nicolas still alive? That is entirely up to you.

The only thing I will tell you is this, at some point in between this story and the next one the FBI came after everyone on Earth, and they fled like they did at the end of Graduation.

So again, show of hands, how many people want to kill me?


End file.
